Crescent Embrace
by revelatum
Summary: Post-war, in universe. Sasuke returns to the village after travelling for 2 years. He assumes not much has changed but his presumption is quite the opposite as he learns that a lot has changed. Especially when it comes to a certain Hyuga. (sasuhina)
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Hi guys, this is my first sasuhina fanfic so please bear with me. I would appreciate all sorts of feedback!

This story mainly centers around Sasuke and Hinata, as well as some one-sided Naruhina and there will be future Kibaino moments (There might be other pairings as well) . I've set the story 2 years after the events of chapter 699, so it may appear to be following the canon story line. However, I can assure you, the plot is very different from canon. Furthermore, I've tried to make the characters as in character as possible. Especially in Sasuke's case where he seems more open about his thoughts at the end of chapter 699. So I've tried to find a balance where Sasuke converses more and his thoughts are very personal, yet he still maintains a cynical personality when needed. Anyway enjoy :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but I do own many Naruto merchandise.

_italics are for the character's personal thoughts._

Chapter 1:

Through his long raven-haired bangs, Sasuke saw the Hokage monument come into shape. Six faces –_So the idiot wasn't Hokage. _ This information did not surprise Sasuke as Naruto was still young. In another few years his face would be up there. _Tch_. That realisation irked Sasuke; it would be as if Naruto was always watching. These last two years spent alone felt like a nice break from his loud-mouthed friend. He would never admit it – that Naruto was his closest friend – but he was sure that the idiot knew. Sasuke smirked proudly remembering the hardships both he and Naruto faced in the past. Adulthood however would be the next hardship for the two of them. There was just so much that needed to happen, from Naruto becoming Hokage to him and Sasuke discussing the reforms to the shinobi system. To rebuilding the Uchiha district and somewhere along the lines the both of them had to start their own respective families. Sasuke grimaced, a family required finding a wife and finding a wife required searching for a decent woman who met his standards. _Shit. _ He had not sat down and thought heavily on his desire to restore his clan. _Leave it alone and think about it later Sasuke. Just think about it later. _

"Tch. Still guarding the gates," Sasuke noted as he strolled right through. For a moment he intended for it to be a question but his arrogance forced it to be a statement. He definitely did not give a damn about those two Chunins – Izumo and Kotetsu. A question implied that he did and he hated beating around the bush. The brunette seemed to not change his appearance at all and the one with the spiky black hair still donned a strip of bandage across the bridge of his nose. Sasuke deduced that the latter still looked as idiotic as ever.

The two village guards both looked up irritated, "Who the hell –"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the two Chunins. Feeling pleasantly nice he activated his sharigan and rinnegan to assist them at guessing who he was. The recognition occurred in matter of seconds that the two guards were flabbergasted. They then stammered out there apologies. Sasuke didn't really care but it felt good knowing his superiority could cause that. Sasuke smirked, the knowledge of this felt equivalent to a room of silence - _fucking amazing_.

Kakashi Hatake leaned back into his chair with a sigh. The mass amount of paperwork the Hokage role induced was beyond his imagination. _No wonder why Tsunade kept sake in here. _ Kakashi ruffled his white hair as he leaned forward to his desk. He opened the draws hoping to find at least some sake.

"Tsunade-sama beat you to it already Hokage-sama. She emptied out all the draws that contained sake. She didn't miss a single drop."

Kakashi leaned back into his chair again. Shizune's revelation did not help his tiresome mood one bit. Moreover, she walked straight to his desk only to dump even more paperwork. _Great._

Shizune laughed quietly at his sombre expression. "Oh, Izumo and Kotesu sent a message."

"Oh?"

"Uchiha Sasuke has returned to the village."

Sasuke hesitated as his hand begun to twist the doorknob to Kakashi's office. Shizune had walked past him earlier, greeted him and told Sasuke to head straight in. _Tch._ Sasuke had purposely walked slower in order to avoid meeting with his old sensei. He wasn't in the mood to deal with neither Kakashi nor Team Seven. He needed rest and silence. After that he would sought them out. However, Sasuke knew that word would have reached Kakashi of his arrival. If he did not come now, Kakashi would only cause trouble for Sasuke later. Sasuke gripped the doorknob and gritted his teeth. _Let's just get it over and done with._

Kakashi Hatake looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise novel and waved at Sasuke with a crinkled eye, "Yo."

Sasuke closed the door and leaned against the nearest wall. He observed Kakashi turn a page of his perverted novel as he leaned back into his chair. Sasuke observed the numerous stacks of paperwork that flooded the office. It was still quite bizarre to see him as Hokage. Kakashi after all did not suite sitting behind a desk. _Neither would Naruto, he's way too energetic._

"You know, I expected you here an hour ago," Kakashi looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "You're not picking up my habit of being late now, are you?" He teased.

"I got lost on the path of life," Sasuke mocked with a bitter tone.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes "Using my own excuses, very funny."

Kakashi snapped his book closed and leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. Taking it as signal that they were going to talk properly, Sasuke stood up straight and walked closer to the desk.

"Firstly, we need to discuss your rank. Technically, you're still a Genin and in normal circumstances you would need to take part in the exams in order to be promoted to the rank you're qualified for. However, taking into consideration of your past status as a missing-nin and then your travels, your situation is anything but normal. So I'm giving you the same option I gave Naruto – jounin or anbu?"

"Anbu."

"You'll do well in the Anbu," Kakashi replied, "now don't think this is some sort of special treatment. It's mainly a precaution for other shinobi, after all both you and Naruto's abilities are at Sannin level or higher. We don't want an unintentional death on our hands."

Sasuke could agree with Kakashi on this. He was highly aware that both he and Naruto were the strongest shinobi in the world. Other villages would be insane to start a war with Konoha since there man power was tremendous. Speaking of tremendous power, Sasuke thought of his pink haired team mate.

"Sakura's a Sannin," he stated. He remembered her immense strength in the war. She truly had become a respectable and formidable kunoichi.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, "I'm aware of that…" he trailed off until he realised what Sasuke was implying.

"Oh. Well, Sakura was already a chunin during the war. It was only natural she was promoted to jounin shortly after."

Kakashi's initial shock to Sasuke's subtle question was not a surprise. After all, Sasuke was acclaimed to be a heartless bastard. Sure, he was cold and cynical most of the time but there were some people who were fortunate to be granted his kindness or interest.  
>He would be disappointed if Sakura was not a jounin. She had long ago surpassed Tsunade as a fighter and as a medical ninja. Her power reflected the years of rigorous training. It would be a waste to not commend that. She deserved that at least from him. Satisfied with that information, Sasuke grunted giving permission to Kakashi to carry on.<br>Kakashi then began to explain that since Naruto was out on a mission for a week or so, Sasuke would stay with Kakashi until he returned. Sasuke scowled, that would mean an intense spar with Naruto would have to be postponed. _If you can survive for two years without an intense spar, you can last a week. _He pinched the bridge of his nose, repeating his thought as mantra.  
>He then discussed the prosthetic arm Tsunade had made for Sasuke was still available. He reinforced the pros of the arm, explaining that Naruto had no problems with it. Kakashi even had the guts to say that he highly recommended it. <em>Tch.<em> Sasuke already knew the pros of having the arm. He had even considered it quite a bit before he left two years ago. Yet Sasuke chose something far more valuable over the pros. His severed left arm served as a constant reminder for the one bond in his life that was constant – Naruto. He was eternally grateful for everything that idiot had done for him. He believed he hardly deserved the bond he and Naruto shared. Nonetheless, Naruto was the closest thing he had to a friend. That would always remain the same just like his severed arm.

"So, as promised the Uchiha district has been untouched. Rebuilding can commence whenever you wish."

Sasuke watched as Kakashi pulled out some papers from a draw. "Here," Kakashi handed him the papers which included a map of the land owned by the Uchiha's, as well as the previous outline of all the buildings in the district. "You can start from scratch or build a replica of the district."

Sasuke glanced at the papers quickly before folding them up and stuffing it into his pockets. He would think about rebuilding later. There was something else he had to do first in his mental to-do list.

"Hn," Sasuke turned around to leave and then paused. He turned his head around slightly to eye his old sensei, "Kakashi…where's Sakura?"

Kakashi stood up from his chair and walked over to Sasuke, "Working. She's a very busy woman. Here," Kakashi handed Sasuke a folded piece of paper, "It's the address of my home. There's a spare key under the mat."

Before he knew it Kakashi had pushed Sasuke out of his office. It felt nostalgic to be treated like a child. Yet it was also infuriating. As he walked down the stairs of the Hokage building, Sasuke came to a conclusion: Kakashi had not changed at all.

With his hands in his pockets, Sasuke walked through the village searching for Kakashi's house. It was awfully hot and he could feel the sweat dripping from his hair. His bangs had grown severely long, covering most of his forehead and tickling his nose and eyes. He had been too lazy to trim his bangs before returning. He would have to cut them tonight with his kunai. Sasuke flicked his head a little, ridding some of the sweat. He looked down at his poncho. _I'll have to get rid of that as well. _ During his travels the poncho had its uses but now he was no longer travelling and it was inexcusably scorching.  
>Sasuke made a turn into one of the busy streets of Konoha. He hated crowds. It involved too much noise, too much bickering and too much talking. It lacked silence. Unfortunately, this was the only apparent way to Kakashi's apartment. Sasuke thought about jumping from building to building. However, that would only gain unnecessary attention he did not want. Sasuke continued on his way, thankful that no one had recognised him yet.<br>Sasuke made his way through the busy street, avoiding any eye or physical contact. He was almost at the end of the street when something caught his eye. Sasuke turned his head quickly to glance at what caught his vison. He smirked, proud of what he found. Making his way to it, his smirk quickly became a faint smile before diminishing to his infamous scowl.

"I'll take four tomatoes."

The old lady at the stall nodded her head and began to gather his tomatoes. It had been a while since he had sunk his teeth into his favourite food. His stomach began rumbling quietly at the thought of the juicy tomatoes. Sasuke pulled out some money from his pocket, giving it to the old lady. However, she gasped at realising whom he was.

"What?" Sasuke hissed.

The old lady smiled at him before answering, "I thought you looked familiar. You have the exact same face as your mother," she frowned, before returning it to a smile, "she used to always buy my tomatoes – she said it was her son's favourite. " The old lady bowed suddenly, "Thank you for your efforts in the war. We all appreciate it."

Sasuke nodded at the old lady as she stood up straight again. She gave him his tomatoes in a bag and he left abruptly, unsure of what he was feeling. In the past, Sasuke's defection had caused people to see him as a traitor to Konoha. Yet the old lady had said 'we all appreciate it.' This sudden change of atmosphere annoyed Sasuke. He did not expect people to 'thank him'. _Tch._ Sasuke decided he would ponder about this later. He swung the bag of the tomatoes over his shoulders. The old lady's revelation of his mother had triggered memories of his mother's cooking. He closed his onyx eyes for a second, relishing in the memories of his family.

That of course was a huge mistake as he walked into the back of somebody. The person gasped and Sasuke deduced it was a timid woman as she gasped silently. Sasuke opened his eyes to regard her as she turned around to face him. The two were so close that her face was centimetres away from his chest. Sasuke looked down at her and came to two conclusions: firstly, she was tiny. Secondly, her elegant, lavender yukata meant she was well-off and unfortunately for her he could see her big breasts. _Okay, so maybe that was three. _ She tilted her head up and their eyes met. Sasuke was correct to assume she was shy as she blushed profoundly. Sasuke smirked as she stepped back from him immediately. The woman ensured that it was a good enough distance for Sasuke to not look down her shirt. She brought her hands in front of her and looked up at Sasuke immediately. Her lavender eyes met with his onyx.

"Hyuga," he scowled.

Please review as it would make my day/night :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: **

**This fanfiction itself is dedicated to one of my best friends, Lara. Without her constant encouraging and help it would not exist but merely be a story in my head.**

**Thank you to Ryuujin96, Robotchick1, misao97, Gagster, crystalblue19**** for reviewing. Also thank you to those who have favourite and followed this story. Also cheers to all the guest reviewers xx**

**First of all, ****Ryuujin96 enquired about whether or not Naruto is main character since the story centres around Sasuke and Hinata. Naruto plays a MAJOR role in regards to Sasuke and Hinata's relationship. Although, he won't pop up into the story til later, Naruto's significance is a plot device itself.  
>Secondly, Gagster pointed out that Sanin, is not a ninja rank. I am fully aware that it is a term and not a rank. However, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto are regarded to be the new legendary trio. If you refer to chapter 634, "Minato acknowledges the trio, stating that this is the new three-way deadlock summoning leading Hiruzen to remember his students and acknowledge that it was truly the dawning of a new era." – Naruto wikia page. Due to how I've worded it, it does suggest it as rank. Apologies for that.<strong>

**Lastly, this chapter includes one of my favourite interactions between Sasuke and Hinata! Please note that a person can change quite a lot in 2 years and that will be evident in Hinata. She's still the same Hinata we all love but she's grown to be more confident which is natural. She's not a stuttering mess (which many fanfics unfortunately make her out to be ugh). However she's also still shy in some situations!  
>Moreover, there is a particular scene which I'm not sure how others will take it as Sasuke may seem OOC? I'm not sure but please bear with it as it HAD TO HAPPEN. I'll address it at the end of the chapter. <strong>

**Anyway enjoy the chapter and you all know I don't own Naruto. **

**Chapter 2:**

Sasuke pressed his lips together into a thin line, "you shouldn't stand in the middle of the road" he spat out.

She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. It appeared the Hyuga was just as annoyed as he. He couldn't blame her; Sasuke after all was at fault. However, he would never admit that. Especially to this random Hyuga woman whom thought she was regal enough to stand in the centre of the street. _Pretentious girl. _ As if realising whom he was, her eyes became wider. They were already big enough Sasuke noted but her astonishment made them even wider. The girl stood up straight and opened her mouth to retort. Yet, Sasuke found another voice speaking at him.

"That's Hyuga-sama to you. Who do you think you are duck butt? Addressing the Head of the Hyuga clan like that," she scoffed, "maybe you should walk with your eyes open!" The girl crossed her arms as she stood in front of the apparent Head.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at her. He felt tension in his neck – _she fucking insulted my hair._ Sasuke Uchiha had been called many things: a traitor, murderer, monster, bastard and so on. But not once had he ever been called **_that_****. **Sasuke sneered at the younger girl, just who in the hell was she? They looked a little similar he noted. Where they cousins? Or sisters?

The older girl frowned slightly at the younger girl. She placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder forcing the little girl to turn around and face her. With her chin lifted up, the elder one looked down her nose to other girl. Sasuke corrected his initial impression of the woman. She was shy but had a sense of superiority and confidence. _What a strange woman._

"Hanabi-chan, you should not speak to Uchiha-san with such rudeness, you -"

The elder girl narrowed her eyes as Hanabi scoffed. Hanabi threw up her hands in the air and dismissed his presence as she waved her hands. "Onee-san, I don't care if he's –"she paused. Hanabi turned around slowly, looking at Sasuke before blushing. He noted that Hanabi blushed just as badly as her older sister. He rolled his eyes. He never thought girls could blush this badly. The younger girl muttered something incoherent to his ears to her elder sister. She scurried off without sparring him a second glance.

Now that it was just the two of them Sasuke observed the Head of the Hyuga properly this time. Her long indigo hair cascaded just above her rear. Her bangs were styled in a hime cut. She looked familiar.

"I apologies on behalf of Hanabi-chan. She has a bit of crush on Uchiha-san –"

Sasuke scoffed, "She doesn't even know me."

The girl narrowed her lilac eyes at Sasuke. It was then Sasuke realised she found great displeasure at being interrupted.

The girl turned away from him to stare at something else. "That's true. I suppose she respects you."

Her eyes turned to meet Sasuke's and they stared at one another for a few seconds. The woman then laughed awkwardly, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Sorry," she bit her lip, turning her head back to fully face him again.

_Hyuga Hinata. _He placed her name on her face the moment she bit her lip. _That god damn lip bite. _He would never forget that irritating habit of hers. Two years ago before he had left the village, he had been sparring with Naruto. His sharigan was still active when the Hyuga had approached them. He had zoned out, positive that she had come to ask Naruto a question, not him. He glanced at her for a second and unfortunately it happened to be the moment she bit her lip. It was irritating because her lips were so appealing and she ruined them by that awful habit. Her terrible habit had been ingrained in his mind.

Hinata then smiled at him, "Ah – well, I'm sure Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan are pleased to have you back."

Sasuke shrugged, "Hn."

She sighed, understanding that the conversation was fruitless. The Hyuga bowed, not too low nor too high. It was just right to express her position and his. Sasuke watched her, uncaring to return to the bow or offer any words. She walked away, almost brushing past his shoulders since the streets became even more crowded. She then stopped and giggled. Hinata whispered something only his ears could hear.

"Uchiha-san, you really should walk with your eyes open."

After she left Sasuke felt the tension in his neck subdue. He was beyond pissed at the Hyuga girl. Her words of farewell were mocking him. She had known the entire time that Sasuke had his eyes closed. Yet she pretended she was clueless and at fault, only to practically rub it in his face that she knew all along. _Tch_. She looked harmless but Sasuke knew there was definitely more to her than meets the eye. _Speaking of eyes, she has no pupils whatsoever_ – which in Sasuke's opinion made her even stranger. He dismissed the fact that all Hyuga's visibly had no pupils. Everything about her was irritating. How could she be timid yet confident? There were hints of superiority **_especially_** with her parting words yet he easily observed that she also felt inferior in his presence. If she had refrained from lip biting he maybe would have over looked her inferiority towards him. _But she just had to bite her lip._ That annoyed Sasuke the most. A terrible habit he assumed she had been scolded on but could not get rid of. The only redeeming qualities were that she had nice lips but she ruined it by biting them. _So maybe not. _ She did have a nice figure and was attractive, _but lacked the confidence. _ She also knew to not pester him _but…no that was it. That's the only decent thing about her. _Yet in the end none of that mattered in Sasuke's mind. He scoffed, Hyuga Hinata, Head of the Hyuga clan. _What a joke._

Before he knew it, Sasuke had found Kakashi's apartment. He kneeled down and placed his bag of tomatoes on the ground. He then proceeded to stick his hand under the mat, searching for the spare key. Sasuke twitched – there was no key. _That bastard. _He thought about either breaking down the door or a window. However, he was positive Kakashi wouldn't appreciate it. He got up, heading to the nearest window to break it open.

"Sasuke-kun!?"

He paused. Even after two years her voice had not changed. He turned around to lock his eyes with wide emerald eyes. She had grown a little in height he noted. She wore a lab coat, her cherry hair was tied up and there was sweat dripping down her face. She looked flustered and Sasuke was unsure whether it was from work or for his sudden appearance.

"Sakura," he replied.

She smiled and kneeled down to pick up his bag of tomatoes. "I didn't know you were back, Sasuke-kun. Kakashi-sensei mentioned you would be back soon, but I didn't realise that it would be…today."

Sakura walked over to him and handed him his bag. He took it and watched her return back to the door. He raised his eyebrows at her, confused by her actions. She then proceeded to fish out a key from her pockets. Noticing Sasuke's confusion, Sakura began to explain.

"I took the spare key and forgot to return it the other day. Since it was my break, I thought I might as well return it," she opened the door, slipping into Kakashi's apartment with Sasuke following after her.  
>Once Sasuke closed the door behind him, Sakura turned to face him. Her face was red from embarrassment once realising her explanation only provided more confusion. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her. He honestly didn't care if she and Kakashi were involved like <strong><em>that.<em>** She was a grown woman and Kakashi was a much better person than him. If Sasuke were honest he would prefer that Sakura fell in love with a decent man rather than himself. However, even he knew that the relationship between his team mate and old sensei was merely familial and nothing else.

"No- I-it's not like that Sasuke-kun!" she stammered out. Sakura blushed and Sasuke realised that if blushing was a sport Hyuga Hinata would have come first place.

"I know." Sasuke moved away from the door and headed deeper into the apartment to explore. The kitchen was decently sized, including a small table to eat. Sasuke turned his head to the right, across was a living room with a variety of books that ranged from jutsus to Kakashi's perverted novels. He then peered down a hall which he assumed where the rooms and bathroom were located. Sakura now stood beside him and also looked down the hallway with a smile.

"I had the key because Kakashi-sensei asked me to prepare a room for you. That's all. My feelings for you haven't changed Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura I –"

"It's okay Sasuke-kun. Really, I'm not asking for you to return my feelings. Sure – it would be nice but" she paused and glanced up at him, "all I want is for you to be happy, ne?" She walked forward down the hall, "come on, I'll show you your room."

He could hear her voice break a little in her statement. Sasuke understood the depth of her love for him but he also knew that he could not return it. Maybe if he had not pursued revenge perhaps he would have fallen in love with Sakura back when they were younger. _It's all in the past now though. _That was the thing – the past could not be erased.  
>During his two years of travels Sasuke decided to sort out his feelings for Sakura. He knew he harboured feelings for her, <em>I care about her<em> but it was not like that. She was family to him. He concluded that she was like a maternal figure – a sister or a mother. Despite all his bullshit and trying to kill her she had still found it in her heart to love him. There were no ulterior motives but to save him from the darkness and for him to be happy - _just like Naruto. _Even now as he watched Sakura walk down the hall, he could easily tell her words had been true. Her feelings for him had not changed.

"Thank you," he called out to her.

Sakura paused, turning around. She smiled and he knew it was sincere despite the tears beginning in her eyes. She was perhaps the only person he thanked a lot. Sasuke smiled at her, a rarity that only a few people had been blessed to see. He owed her his appreciation at the very least.

Hanabi Hyuga stared at her reflection in her black tea. She had grown out her long brown hair in a similar fashion to Hinata that it reached past her waist. She blew at the single lock of hair which fell directly at the centre of her face. Despite Hinata reassuring Hanabi that her little blow up at Uchiha Sasuke was nothing to worry about, Hanabi had still worried. _It's so embarrassing. _It was the first time she met someone she highly respected – as well as a crush – and she practically insulted him! _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ She pushed away the cup of tea, losing any interest towards it.  
>She glanced at her onee-san, who sat across from her sipping her tea as she read a scroll. Hanabi would be lying if she said she was not jealous of Hinata. Her older sister was everything she aspired to be. Hanabi rested her head on her palm, watching Hinata read. She was flustered as the two of them had just finished sparring but Hinata had still managed to look enticing. Her long indigo hair was tied up in a messy, with wisps of it hanging out. Hanabi crossed her arms and slouched, <em>if I tried doing that it would end up as a complete disaster. <em>A proud smile graced Hanabi's lips, her onee-san was empowering.

"Naruto-kun will be home soon," Hanabi blurted out. She leaned back, waiting and watching for Hinata's reaction.

Hinata did not look up from her scroll or reply at all. Hanabi sighed, she did not understand. She had tried many times to start a conversation regarding Naruto but the topic had supposedly become taboo a year ago. A year ago, Hinata was in love with that blonde idiot. She was positive that Naruto also felt the same way. Yet there was something Hanabi was missing.

"He is always asking for you onee-san. I don't know what happened but –"

"I'm going to visit otosan." Hinata closed the scroll and stood up. She did not look at Hanabi at all as she left the room. Hanabi assumed that she and her sister had grown closer. Yet it was in moments like these that Hanabi felt further away from Hinata. A year ago Hinata had flipped as a person. It was as if Hinata knew something that Hanabi did not.

Hinata had changed into a simple yukata before she left the Hyuga compound. She had let down her hair and combed it thoroughly until it looked as neat as it could be. The elders would scold her if the Head of the clan presented herself in a dishevelled appearance. The only times they deemed it appropriate was during her training or on missions. The latter she did not take part in anymore due to her duties as the Head. Hinata sighed, pushing back a strand of her hair behind her ears. She missed being out in the field.

As Hinata neared her father, she bowed and kneeled down into seiza positon. Hinata reached out caressing his grave, "Hello Otosan." She smiled sadly at the thought that they had only become closer a few years ago. It still hurt to know he had suddenly died at the worst time possible. _Don't think about. Do not think about it Hinata. _

"It's been a year but I think I've finally gotten a hang of handling the elders. They are really stubborn - I'm not sure how you handled them… Hanabi is doing well. She recently became chunin, but I'm sure she already told you ne?" Hinata then continued to talk about other clan matters and the progress of both Hanabi and Hinata in their training. Once she was done she moved onto her mother's grave which was next to her fathers. It had been requested that the space beside her mother's grave would be left for her father when he passed on.

"Okasan, your garden is still blooming. Being the clan head though makes it more difficult to tend to the garden but Hanabi has taken an interest in it recently. She's a great help Okasan. I wish you two could have met… when I'm gardening with Hanabi, she reminds me of you."

Hinata bit her lip as she played with the hem of her yukata. Hinata then laughed nervously, hesitant about the next topic but continued anyway. "She's very brave ne? We were out in the markets a few days ago and we bumped into Uchiha Sasuke. He didn't address me correctly and Hanabi-chan raised her voice at him – I didn't care though. He never uses honorifics…It was the first time we've ever talked. Isn't that weird? Our districts are nearby but we've never conversed."  
>Hinata smiled sadly, her voice dropping. "He must have been very lonely and isolated. What a heavy burden to carry, being the last of his clan… I think that's why he acts rude to others. So others won't be close to him. It's like a defence mechanism to avoid being hurt. I've only ever seen him be kind to his team mates. Ah – I still don't know what to do about Naruto-kun. What should I do Okasan?"<p>

Hinata closed her eyes, releasing a breath she did not know she was holding. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew causing Hinata to open her eyes. She had stared in awe as the leaves danced through the air. Her lilac eyes followed the leaves until they fell on a hand that was resting on a grave. Hinata's eyes trailed down the persons arm until they found the strangers face. Hinata froze as she recognised who it was.

**The scene that I was referring to earlier was the scene between Sasuke and Sakura. I believe that Sasuke cares about Sakura but whether it was to the point of romantic love, I don't think Kishimoto expanded so well in that aspect. There were hints but yeah anyway.  
><strong>

**There's a lot of things this chapter mentions such as the tension and distance between Hinata and Naruto. That will all be revealed soon. **

**ALSO PLEASE READ: I'm going away on holidays, so there is a 50/50 chance there will not be an update next week. I can't say for sure if I will be able to update. Anyway thank you for reading and please review xxxxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: I didn't think I would be able to update this week since I'm on holidays but look at what we have here. I couldn't resist updating as many things come to light in this chapter (most of them are subtle and foreshadow certain things). **

**Reminder that ****_italics are for the character's thoughts_****. **

Chapter 3:

Hinata froze, almost terrified that **_he _**had heard her. She gripped them hem of her yukata, taking a deep breath in. Then out. Hinata had hoped to Kami that he had not heard her. They were ten metres apart but she was certain there was a slight chance he may have heard her._ Oh dear god, please don't turn around. _ After all, she was certain that his ears had been trained to hear the slightest noise just as her eyes had been trained to see the smallest of things. Suddenly, his head flipped around and his coal eyes met with hers. Hinata blushed, turning her head away immediately – Sasuke Uchiha had caught her staring. She peered back over to him and found his eyes on her still. She had planned to go to Neji's grave after to tell him about her progress in the removal of the branch seal. But as she continued to stare into the abyss of Sasuke's eyes she found herself unable to look away. For the first time, Hinata took the time to appreciate Sasuke's appearance. _He's so …handsome_. His jawline was so defined that Hinata had briefly wondered what it would be like to run her fingers down them. She noticed that he had trimmed his bangs. Although they still were long they had allowed his face to be seen more. He had discarded that awful looking poncho, allowing the eyes to appreciate his strong build. _His eyes though. _They were so dark, full of so much emotion that no one would be able to comprehend. The intensity behind his stare was enough for Hinata to be terrified of him. Uchiha Sasuke was a fellow dojustu user after all. He could kill her with one glance. That knowledge enough had stopped Hinata from entertaining herself with thoughts of the last Uchiha. She broke there stare off, looking in the opposite direction. She could feel the heat creeping up her neck. _Why did I just stare at him for so long? Oh Kami. _ Hinata exhaled, peeking back at to where Sasuke was except he was no longer in sight. Grateful that he had vanished so quickly, Hinata stood up letting out a sigh. She had no idea what would enfold if Sasuke had not vanished. He was a dark mystery waiting to be unravelled.

xxxxxx

Sasuke released a heavy breath as he collapsed onto the ground. He brought his arm over his eyes, covering the suns forceful blaze. Naruto fell beside him seconds after, releasing both a heavy breath and laugh. Sasuke let a small smirk creep onto his face. It felt nice to know Naruto felt the same way. A spar between them was just what they needed. Naruto had returned two days ago but there long awaited spar had only occurred today. Both he and Naruto had conflicting and busy schedules to adhere to now. Naruto with his missions and preparations of becoming Hokage, and Sasuke with his new job in the Anbu and going through construction plans for the Uchiha district. The two saviours of the world had been so preoccupied with their own lives that they had hardly spoken. Sasuke could not deny that it had been an intense spar but it was just what the both of them needed. The intensity of their spar allowed the two shinobi to release a lot of their stress on one another. Sasuke glanced down over his severely battered body, _Naruto was definitely stressed.  
><em>Sasuke sat up, reaching over for to fetch their water bottles.

He chucked one to Naruto, "Your girlfriend is weird."

Sasuke recalled their bump in the markets and that bizarre stare off at the cemetery. _What in the hell was that? _ He decided he would decipher that later.

Naruto caught the drink, processing the statement through his mind. Suddenly his eyes went wide, "Eh?!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, hating to repeat the statement. "Hyuga, she's strange."

Sasuke closed his eyes, bringing the brim of the bottle to his mouth. He drank the water, waiting for Naruto to retaliate and begin shouting at him for insulting his girlfriend.

"Oh."

_Oh? Fucking oh?_ Out of all the things to say, Naruto chose 'oh'. Sasuke had almost spat at out his water shocked by Naruto's response. He had planned to retort at Naruto however, upon turning around to face Naruto he decided against it. The bubbly blonde was solemn and miserable. His blue eyes that were normally filled with hope and happiness were void of that. Sasuke only saw despair and sadness.

"She's not my girlfriend." Naruto's voice was low, filled with regret.

Sasuke took note that Hyuga Hinata was a touchy subject from that moment on. _Something had happened between the two of them._ Sasuke was not sure what but it must have been **_something_** horrendous. After all, Sasuke recalled the two of them dating before he had left the village. Naruto had even asked Sasuke advice about how he should go about asking for her hand in marriage. _Naruto wanted to marry her. _That knowledge was alarming enough for Sasuke to know something had happened.  
>Sasuke's concern must have been noticeable to Naruto as he immediately punched Sasuke's arm, grinning.<p>

"It's nothing Sasuke. Hey! – You're still coming to the festival this weekend right?"

Years later it still irked Sasuke to know that despite hardly showing any emotions on his face Naruto could easily read him. Sasuke scowled, understanding that Naruto didn't want to talk about Hyuga Hinata.

"I don't have a choice do I?" Sasuke stood up, throwing the bottle at Naruto's face. "You and Sakura have nagged me nonstop, it's **_annoying._** I'll go but only so I don't have to deal with Kakashi's nagging as well." Sasuke walked away from Naruto, with his hand in his pocket. "You're all so stubborn," he muttered.

Hinata hit the wooden post with her palms consecutively. _ Again! _She went faster this time, ignoring the stinging of her palms. Hinata was beyond angered. She bit her lip as she slapped the wooden post, taking out her anger on it.  
>Hinata could not believe the nerve of the Hyuga council. They had called for an audience with her this morning only to enquire about her relationship status. Hinata gritted her teeth, as she stepped away from the wooden post, moving into a fighting stance. With precision and speed, she began to kick the post.<br>The council demanded that she get married soon in order to produce an heir. _It is a requirement as the Head of the clan_, she sneered at that. She knew that! Hinata would be imprudent to think she did not need to produce an heir. _But it's too much. _The timing and request of it all was wrong. She was not ready. Hinata still had many emotions to sort out. Thus, she retorted to the council that Hanabi was a suitable heir for the time being. She preferred not to say that, but if it would get the council off her back for a while, then Hinata would use it in her favour.  
>She performed a round house kick onto the wooden post, quickly moving closer to the post to smash her palm into it. <em>Hanabi's still young; she doesn't even know what she wants. <em>Yet, Hinata was nineteen years old and even she didn't know what she wanted. Angered by that idea as well, Hinata continued to attack the post. Nonetheless, none of that anger compared to the annoyance and guilt she felt when the council enquired about Naruto. They believed he was a worthy suitor as he was the hero of the war; he was hard-working, determined and the next Hokage. _I know all that already._ Hinata wanted to scream at the elders and rip her hair out. She **_knew_** that Naruto was worthy. She knew that from the beginning, when they were just little children. Naruto was not worthless, _it's me. I'm the unworthy one. _ She was grateful that the council at least did not ask why she stopped her relationship with Naruto. Perhaps they assumed that due to the timing of her father's death and her inauguration as Head that it had been **_too _**much for her at that time – which was somewhat true. Hinata stopped attacking the post as she felt her hands begin to bleed. She wiped the crimson onto her thighs, uncaring what the Hyuga maids would say to that.

"You can't execute a perfect gentle fist if your palms are ruined."

Hinata jumped and let out a squeak. She turned around, finding Sasuke behind her.

"Uchiha-san! How – How, long have you been there?" She stammered out. Hinata released a heavy breath, wiping the sweat off her face.

Sasuke sneered at her, "For someone who has 360 degree vison you're quite blind."

Hinata blushed and turned away from Sasuke. _He's supposed to have heightened senses yet he managed to walk straight into me...hypocrite. _Hinata was annoyed; she obviously did not have her byakugan activated so it was impossible to see him from behind. _Unless… he's insulting my skills to not even hear him approach!_ Hinata turned back to face him, her eyes narrowed at him. She had hoped he disappeared but apparently he had other ideas.

"Do you need something Uchiha-san?" She asked. Hinata would compose herself and refrain from being rude. However, he was making it quite hard.

"No."

"Oh – Okay." He was at it again, with his onyx eyes staring right into her. Hinata felt like Sasuke was reading her like an open book. Right now she felt like he had been deducing her every being and worth. His gaze was alluring yet terrifying. _ What is he thinking? _She had learnt to control her blushing but yet whenever she faced Sasuke her confidence seemed to crumble. Sasuke's stares had continuously left her feeling like a delicate snowflake. She didn't know why but it was infuriating. She had grown past her awkward self but when it came to him she caved in. Perhaps it was due to his absence in her life. After all, she never had to directly deal with him in the past. Sasuke took a step closer to her, leaning down so his face was hovering right in front of her. His eyes had never moved from hers. Hinata blushed at his scrutiny and immediately turned her head away, biting her lip.

"Hn." Sasuke stood up straight and turned on his heel. He left Hinata without saying word. As his figure disappeared into the distance Hinata's shoulder slunk, relieved that he was gone.

Xxxx

Sasuke made his way to the arranged meeting place, ignoring the stares and whispers of the female population. He realised, it was the first time he had adorned a yukata publicly since he was a mere child. His yukata was a simple blue, with no detail except the Uchiha emblem sown onto his back. Sasuke did not think he was arrogant but he was not ignorant. He knew that he was attractive; many females had professed their attraction to him, so that had to say something. Sasuke scowled – _there are so many people. _He should not have agreed. But the one, simple word 'yes' had managed to make Naruto and Sakura so god damn happy. He was a man of his word unfortunately. So he could not back down nor could he forget that he owed his two team mates **_a lot. _** After all, there constant belief in him had guaranteed his freedom and pardon for his past crimes. _Although, I only killed Danzo but that bastard had it coming. Tch. _  
>As he began to near the meeting spot, Sasuke spotted Sakura with the others of Rookie Nine and the two remaining members of Team Gai. <em>She looks pretty. <em>Despite having no interest in females half his life, he wasn't stupid. He **_did_** have fantasies and hormones.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved at him, excusing herself away from the man wearing an ugly yukata. _Who in their right mind would wear something so green? _He immediately connected it with Rock Lee. As if on cue, Lee had turned around and flashed him a smile.

"Ah, Sasuke! What a honour it is for you to join us on such a youthful –"

A girl with two braided Chinese buns smacked Lee on the back of his head. "Lee, don't be so loud!"

Sasuke felt tension in his neck, the girl was right – Lee had been loud. _Too loud_.

Sakura padded up beside him, smiling. She brushed down her pink yukata and greeted him. "Naruto's going to be a little late. But this is pretty much everyone."

He looked around, and began to place names on everyone. The girl with buns he learnt was Tenten, as Lee had apologied to her for his loud tendencies. Beside them was Ino, chatting away to Kiba as he scratched Akamaru's ears. Behind them was Shikamaru, leaning against the tree looking as bored as ever. Choji was beside him, eating a packet of chips and Shino had stood there as well, quiet as ever. _There still the same people._

Sasuke turned around to face Sakura, "Where's Hyuga?"

Surprised by his question, Sakura jumped. "Hinata-chan? Oh… well knowing her she won't come."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. Hyuga Hinata seemed to be the only person in this village whom had changed. He was certain she was the festival type of girl.

Suddenly, Kiba called out, "Nah, Hinata-chan will be here today. She said she'll be late because she's got a meeting with the council."

"Hinata-chan says that **_every time_** Kiba," Ino piped in.

Kiba scratched his cheek, "Yeah but this is different –"

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late…what's different?" Sasuke tilted his head, to see that Naruto had arrived.

He noticed that the air had somewhat got tense. It was as if all of them had suddenly been walking on thin ice. _So it seems like everyone knows that Hyuga is a touchy subject._

It was Sakura who broke the silence, putting her hand on Naruto's arm, "Apparently Hinata-chan's coming."

Sasuke watched as Naruto eyes became wide and his breath hitched. In seconds, a sincere smile appeared, reaching to his eyes. Naruto looked up at the sakura tree they stood under, his eyes glistening with hope and a sudden peace.

"Hinata will be here."

Everyone excluding Kiba and Shino had looked at Naruto shocked by his statement.

Kiba grinned, "Heh, so you **_do _**remember."

Shino adjusted his glasses, "Naruto would be foolish to not remember."

Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head. A hint of blush tinting his cheek, _he's embarrassed. _Naruto turned around to hide his face from everyone, staring at the sakura tree. He extended his arm above his head, reaching for the flowers.

"It's the Hanami festival, a flower viewing festival. It's Hinata's favourite festival dattebayo." Naruto clenched his fist, "She'll be here."

**thanks for reading, please review! xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to all who have reviewed , favourite, followed and just in general read the actual story! You are all wonderful xxx Ps. Sorry for the spelling errors, in the last chapter (I was half dead when I posted it, I've gone and fixed it now).**

**misao97: I'm sorry but this is a sasuhina fanfic, although there will be flashbacks of naruhina. I really love naruhina and it pains me to make him so sad as well! I'm rooting for him as well sometimes ha ha, it's so hard to be cruel to my babies ****L**** thanks for the review xx**

**crystalblue19: aw, I'm a big fan of naruhina so sorry to say but prepare yourself for some naruhina. Yes, there history will be explained real soon! I'm also excited to see Sasuke and Hinata's development ****J**

**The Hanami festival is a real festival, which celebrates the sakura trees falling. I'm sorry if I get any details wrong in regards to the festival as I'm using the internet as my resource. **

**This chapter begins with Kiba and Ino (another crack ship of mine). I love them and writing them was so much fun. So if you're not a big fan of them, I'm sorry but it's important that you do read it as some facts are revealed!**

**There's a little sasuhina interaction in this, hope you all like it! I promise that there will be many more Hinata and Sasuke moments to come. I really want to develop their relationship in a way that it is not rushed. **

**Also apologises that the update is late, it was Australia Day on Monday (so I was partying) and school has also started. Since I'm in my final year of school, I will also be quite busy, but rest assured this fanfic WILL continue and will be finished! I'm hoping to continue a streak of weekly updates. Nonetheless, onwards with the chapter – enjoy xx**

Chapter 4:

August23rd had been a date Ino Yamanaka would always remember. For the cheerful blonde, it had been a normal day until **_he_** walked in. From then on, that day had been special to Ino. She wondered what her life would be if he had never walked in on that particular day. _Boring as I wouldn't have a boyfriend. _ Ino laughed at that thought, it wouldn't necessarily be boring. After all, she had friends, a career in the Interrogation Force and worked at her family's flower shop from time to time.

"What's so funny?"

Ino looked up at her boyfriend and smiled – _Kiba Inuzuka._ She would never get tired of saying his name. If anyone had told her she would end up dating Kiba when she was twelve, she would have ridiculed them. Now, at the age of nineteen, Ino could admit she was madly in love with him.

Ino poked out her tongue at Kiba, "Nothing, I just remembered something."

Kiba scratched his beard, "I hope it was something stupid that Sai did."

Ino giggled at his reply. Despite the two being together for almost a year, he was quite jealous of Sai simply because Ino had found him attractive. After all the first time he had asked her out, Kiba had to enquire about the whereabouts of Sai which Ino had only replied with a 'how the hell should I know?' Thus, began their relationship. She wrapped an arm around his, gesturing that the conversation was over. She was glad he could read her. Kiba said no more as he continued to lead her to a stall to eat.

_August 23__rd__… what a day it was. _ For Ino it was precious to her, she remembered how Kiba had walked into her family's flower shop asking for flowers to give to Hinata. Ino sometimes felt selfish that August 23rd was an important day for her. That day was also the day the late Head of the Hyuga clan had passed away from a sudden heart attack. For Hinata it had been a terrible day of mourning. Ino thought the universe was strange like that – to grant happiness to one and grief to another. What made Ino feel even worse was the idea that if Hiashi Hyuga had not passed away, Kiba would not have come in on that day to buy flowers. That only left Ino questioning her relationship with Kiba as it grew. He once told her though that it didn't matter.

_I've liked you for a while Ino, I just didn't say anything because I thought you liked Sai. So it doesn't matter if I walked in on that day or not. I would've pursued you eventually. _

Ino sighed as her mind started to wander back to the day he walked in. She had been tending to some flowers in the corner when Kiba had barged in, with Akamaru behind him. At the time, Ino remembered that he seemed panicked, as he had been breathing heavily. The concern on his face was another side of Kiba she had not seen before. It intrigued Ino until eventually she realised she was attracted to him.  
>When she questioned Kiba about his sudden appearance, he had explained that Hinata's father had died and Hinata had locked herself in her room. He needed flowers because Hinata loved flowers and Kiba urgently had to cheer Hinata up. Ino recalled rushing to make a bouquet of white lilies for Hinata and urging Kiba to calm down and breathe. She reminded him that Hinata needed stability and calm right now from her friend. Kiba nodded understandingly as he knew Ino could easily sympathise with Hinata's grief. The pain one feels from a sudden and unexpected death was heartbreaking. It had happened first with Asuma- sensei and then with her Father. Two very important male figures in her life had been taken away from her while on duty. Ino understood this was the way of the shinobi lifestyle. She knew the risks and the consequences.<p>

Akamaru barked, breaking Ino from her thoughts. She tilted her head to look down at him, wondering what was wrong.

"Hey Ino, you okay? You look kind of sad." Kiba asked, tilting his head to face her.

Sometimes, Kiba and Akamaru could read her too easily. She didn't want to worry them with her senseless thoughts. Ino removed her arm from Kiba, stepping in front of him to change the subject.

"Are you saying that I look terrible? I **_thought_** you said this white yukata looked good on me!"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, knowing that she was purposely avoiding the subject. He decided to tease her.

Grinning, Kiba said "It'll look better on the floor."

Ino blushed, crossing her arms and turned away from him. "Shut up Kiba. You'll be lucky if this," Ino gestured to herself, "even makes it to your bed."

Kiba laughed and walked closer to Ino. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Who says we have to fuck in my bed?"

Ino smirked, playfully shoving Kiba. "Who says we're going to fuck?"

Kiba grabbed her hand, pulling Ino close to him. If it wasn't for Akamaru's bark the two might have kissed. Ino laughed, crouching down to Akamaru and patting him.

"Let's go get something to eat, ne?"

After they had found a stall selling dumplings, the couple sat down on a bench to eat with Akamaru curled at their feet.

"Ne, Kiba … Do you really think Hinata-chan will come?" Ino asked

"Yeah… she's always skipped out on the other festivals purposely but she won't skip out on this one."

"Eh? Did she make some sort of promise?"

Kiba scratched his cheek, "Don't tell anyone Ino, and I **_mean_**it. But she and Naruto, after they broke up… they made a promise to one another to speak about something today. So she'll be here, Hinata-chan might have ignored him this past year but she said she'll keep her promise and talk to him at the festival."

"I wonder what they promised each other…." Ino crossed her arms, "and here I thought it really was Hinata-chan's favourite festival."

Kiba looked at her, "It is."

He sighed, elaborating on the promise. "No one else knows but the two of them. Hinata-chan only mentioned it since she could tell that Shino and I were bothered about their sudden break up. She only said it in order to assure us that she and Naruto were still on speaking terms."

"The whole ordeal has been worrying to all of us. I really thought Hinata-chan and Naruto were **_it._**"

Kiba smiled sadly, "Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Hina –"

Suddenly Akamaru barked, and Kiba paused. Sniffing into the air, "You're right Akamaru. It's her!"

"Hinata-chan!? She's here?" Ino exclaimed excitingly.

"Yeah, she's – Oh shit. Shit, shit."

"What's wrong?"

"She's going to walk straight in to Naruto soon if she doesn't change paths."

Ino was confused, _isn't that the reason Hinata-chan mainly came to the festival for, to talk to Naruto? _As if reading her mind, Kiba opened his mouth to answer.

"Knowing Hinata-chan she has to mentally prepare herself still to face him. Damn it she's –"

"I can use my jutsu to contact Hinata-chan and –" Ino stopped herself as she realised Kiba's hands had encompassed over hers, stopping her from making the necessary hand signs for the jutsu. He began to rub his fingers on her palms letting out a sigh. It didn't take long for Ino to realise he was worried, she also could easily read him. _Then why did he –_

"It is unwise to meddle in the affairs of destiny. Why you ask, because it would only delay the inevitable. I'm glad to see that you picked up on that before Ino could perform her jutsu."

Both Ino and Kiba jumped, turning around to face Shino. "How long have you been here?!"

Shino pushed up his glasses, "Since you came to sit at this bench. I was admiring this particular shrub," he gestured towards a shrub nearby, "my insects have taken a liking to it."

Kiba and Ino let out a sigh of relief. Grateful that Shino had not been behind them this whole time. Ino blushed faintly, she was confident girl but she did not want anyone else knowing about her sexual life. Especially her boyfriend's team mate. _Too weird._ Ino looked up at the sky, exhaling a breath. _Good luck Hinata-chan. _

Xxxx

Hinata clenched her fists, inhaling and then exhaling. As she neared the Hanami festival, Hinata realised she had been practically running to be there. _I hope no one saw me._ If word reached the Hyuga elders that the Head of the Hyuga was running to be at festival they would most definitely scold her. She had stopped running and leaned against one of the sakura trees. _This is it Hinata, you can do it. _She smothered down her lilac yukata, realising she owned more lavender in her wardrobe than anything else. Hinata frowned, she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She shook her head – _focus Hinata you just have to find Naruto-kun and give your answer to him. _ She began walking in to the festival, running her hands through her hair, hoping she looked presentable. Activating her byakugan, Hinata began to seek out her team mates. She wanted to find them first and spend a little time with them before making her way to Naruto. _Yes, that should help calm down the nerves. _Hinata could trust her team mates would offer their full support. She kept her focus on the east side of the festival as she knew Akamaru tended to enjoy that side more often strangely enough.  
>Hinata pushed through the crowds, <em>I had forgotten that festivals got this busy. <em>The last festival she had attended was last year's Hanami festival at the end of March. Since then, she had made a strong point to avoid festivals. Hinata made excuses – _terrible ones – _to all of her friends and especially Naruto. Hinata felt terrible but at that time her excuses had seem reasonable enough. None of it benefitted her, it would not help her and it would not **_fix _**anything. At that time Hinata had believed she did not deserve to be happy nor enjoy herself. The feelings still lingered, she would admit. However, these past months she spent solely dedicated to herself and her clan had helped. Hinata could rationally think now what she wanted to say to Naruto. She knew now what she could not say to him all those months ago.  
>She replayed that memory in her mind. Recalling how October had just begun and Naruto had returned after a mission that lasted for five weeks. Her father had passed during the time Naruto had left, leaving him clueless to Hinata's suffering since they could not contact one another. Before Naruto had left they had been intimate, giving themselves to one another. Promising each other their minds, body and soul. Hinata <strong><em>had <em>**been so in love with him.

At that time she was prepared to marry him and to be the woman who would give him a family and him vice versa. But when Naruto had returned, Hinata could not keep her promise. She could not give him a family and she could not marry him – _I'm so worthless. _Hinata gripped her heart, biting her lip. She would not cry, especially in public. The elders would never let her hear the end of it.

Xxx

Sasuke regretted agreeing to coming to the festival. He had felt like he was twelve again as Sakura and Naruto dragged him around. Those two latched on to him as if he was their child. _Tch. _He had shrugged them off and snarled at them about it. Naruto would only grin and say that they didn't plan on letting Sasuke go again. _I'm stuck with these two forever… wonderful. _  
>He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Sakura and Naruto were his only family now. However, sometimes Sasuke needed space and silence. Two things those two could not provide him. Sasuke sighed, as he watched Naruto running off to some stall, dragging Sakura along.<p>

"Come on Sakura-chan! I'll win a prize for you dattebayo!"

Sasuke slowly trailed after them, hoping to put some distance between them for a bit. He had wondered what the point of meeting up with everyone was. Especially if they had all just planned to separate again. _Such a waste of time. _  
>His thoughts began to drift off to the Hyuga girl. He had enquired to Naruto just what the hell was all that about earlier, to which Naruto smiled happily that his precious 'Hinata' had promised to meet up with him today. It left Sasuke bewildered as he was sure there was tension between the two. Sasuke gritted his teeth, not liking today one bit at all. He could feel that today would not end well for Naruto. And he knew it would all come back down to a certain little –<p>

"Ah, gomen!"

_Speak of the devil. _Sasuke scowled as he turned to face Hyuga Hinata rubbing her head after bumping into his back.

"It's pitiful that you're blind whilst you're using byakugan – what a joke Hyuga-**_sama_**."

He watched as the woman lowered her head, comprehending that the added honorific was to insult her. Since he predicted that she would hurt Naruto in moments to come, Sasuke thought it would be nice to remind her that as the Head of the Hyuga her vision was not that splendid.

"Gomen Uchiha-san, I was focused on somewhere else." If he hadn't been paying attention to her, Sasuke would not have heard her reply. It was barely a whisper. _Surely I didn't hurt her ego too much?_

Sasuke looked away from her, "Just don't do it again Hyuga."

Hinata looked up at him with wide eyes. "That- that – You walked into me first!"

Sasuke turned to look back at her and smirked. Somehow, the little vixen had gotten under his skin. It was her shy yet confident personality that intrigued him.

He shrugged, "Guess this makes us even."

Hinata smiled, "Hai."

For a millisecond, his breath hitched as he gazed at Hinata's smile. The first time he had seen her smile he had not been paying attention so much. But now, his focus was solely on her. _She's aesthetically pleasing._ Sasuke noticed that Hinata had bags under her eyes that she tried to hide but Sasuke knew bags better than anybody else.

"Why don't –"

"Hey teme! Who you talking to?"

Sasuke swore under his breathe, annoyed that Naruto interrupted him. He wanted to ask why she didn't sleep. Yet he was also grateful that Nartuo had interrupted, _what was I thinking? Asking her a question like that. _ However, as he glanced at Hinata he noticed that she had become alarmed and rigid.

Naruto peered over, opening his mouth to begin talking but once he realised whom it was he paused. "Hinata…"

**As I said earlier, I'm in my last year of school and it is getting hectic already after the first day back. So I might not get the chance to update weekly unfortunately. This fic will be continued though and will be finished.**

**Hope you all enjoyed it, please review xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**The last chapters have been quite short and I apologise about that. Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites. It means a lot to me.**

**PLEASE READ - Just going to clarify with the timeline: The Hanami festival runs through the end of March to early May. Currently, it is April. There will be a flashback and that occurred around the end of September to October. Hinata's father died a 5 weeks prior to the timeline of the flashback. **

**Also zenzai = red bean soup. According to the 2****nd**** data book (which I just purchased recently) it is both one of Hinata and Naruto's favourite food. **

**This is a long chapter and the longest I have ever written. The history behind Hinata and Naruto will be revealed. The context is quite emotional. Reminder that this fic is rated M**

**Chapter 5:**

Hinata felt helpless in that moment. The way Naruto whispered her name it was coaxed full of desire and hope. His azure eyes had spoken to her pleading for her to regard his presence – something Hinata had not done these past months. Hinata could not remove her eyes away from his nor could she fathom any words.  
>It reminded her of their first time. Naruto had held himself above her, moaning out her name as she had nibbled on his collarbone. When she had pulled away to look at him, their eyes had locked in a similar fashion to now. However, back then his eyes had been lit in passion and desire. They were clothed only in their underwear and one look had told Hinata that Naruto needed her to be his right now. She could not respond with any words. Instead, Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto grabbing his back muscles as she dragged him closer. She kissed his lips and neck until he understood she felt the same way.<br>It seemed ironic that even now his gaze had translated into that. _He needs me. He wants me. _Except Hinata did not want **_any_** of that now. _I don't deserve it. I can't have it. I don't deserve his love. _Those thoughts had been a mantra to Hinata these past months, as if she was brainwashing herself to believe that. Anyone else would believe that but Hinata knew she was merely speaking the truth. Her mantra was the truth and nothing else.  
>She blinked her lavender eyes, realising that his stare was so penetrating to her. It had felt like hours but merely a minute had passed. Yet in that minute, Naruto had been able to stir up old emotions she thought she discarded. Neither of them said anything. The two were standing so close yet it felt like their minds were so far apart. It was Sasuke who broke the tension, giving a grunt and turning to leave.<br>Alarmed that she would have to actually talk to him **_now_**, Hinata almost called out to Sasuke. She didn't want to be alone with Naruto right now. Hinata fidgeted, clutching her yukata. _I'm not ready. I need time to prepare, oh kami. _

"Uh, so I didn't know you and Sasuke were friends," Naruto said whilst scratching the back of his head.

Relief flushed over Hinata as she realised Naruto was just as nervous as her. Hinata brought her hands in front of her, smiling. She nervously laughed before responding.

"Acquaintances perhaps is a better term, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned, glad that she had replied. He stretched his hands behind his head.

"That's understandable since he's a teme dattebayo…Did you wanna grab something to eat?"

Hinata bit her lip, wanting to shake her head and decline as she wanted to give Naruto an answer as soon as possible. _I promised Naruto-kun I would tell him today whether or not I wanted to get back together. _Suddenly her stomach rumbled and it seemed her body had made the decision herself.

Naruto laughed, "I'll take that a yes, come on Hina!"

Hinata blushed as she felt Naruto's hand grab onto hers. He had also used her old nickname. She had not heard that name since they had broken up. Naruto turned around to face her, confused as to why Hinata was not moving. When he realised what the reason was Naruto grimaced.

Naruto darted his eyes away from Hinata and mumbled, "Sorry, habit." He let go of her hand and waited for Hinata to follow him. She followed, feeling awkward and sorry herself.

The restaurant they had entered was full. Hinata was surprised that the two had managed to get a table. Naruto waited for Hinata to slide into the booth, before he slid into the one across from her. The waiter came seconds after, muttering that it was too god damn busy and loud to be an underpaid worker. Immediately, she stopped her mumbling when she recognised whom her customers were.

"Well it sure has been awhile! The usual?" she put away her notebook, already knowing the orders of both Hinata and Naruto.

Hinata smiled, "Hai. Arigato, Iminu-san."

Once Iminu had left, Hinata relaxed against the booth. Naruto leaned against the table, as he watched Hinata he let a small smile grace his lips. He rested his chin on his hands as he watched her yawn.

"Another busy meeting?" he asked.

Hinata sat up, "Yes. The elders are quite stubborn."

Silence washed over them as another waiter brought over two glasses of water for them. Simultaneously, the two grabbed their glasses and sipped their waters.

Naruto placed his glass down, "Your father and Neji would be proud of you Hina. I mean that, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Placing her glass down, Hinata tapped the glass with her fingers. "Arigato Naruto-kun, but I really –"

"That includes yourself Hinata." He said sternly. In that moment Hinata pictured him as the Hokage commanding authority over his shinobi.

Hinata looked down, too afraid to face his piercing eyes. It would only stir up old emotions and bring up old memories. _It's too late. _Her memories and feelings associated with Naruto had already began to come to surface again.

"Here we go, two zenzai." Hinata flicked her head back up as she watched Iminu place the bowls of soup in front of her and Naruto. "Enjoy the meal kids, it's on the house tonight!"

"Ah – thanks baa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

Iminu grinned, "It's been too long since we've had our favourite regulars."

Hinata replied, "Gomen, we've both been busy."

Iminu chuckled, "Busy making kids huh?"

Hinata froze, her hands began to tremble as she reached out for her glass.

Naruto coughed, scratching the back of his head, "Actually…we're not together anymore. We're just good friends."

She brought the rim of the cup to her lips, waiting for Iminu to say something. The silence dragged on and Hinata thought her whole body would begin trembling. She could feel her breath begin to quicken and her heart begin to race. _Oh no, not here. Please not here. _

"Hina, breathe in and out. It's okay."

Her eyes flicked back to Naruto and realised it was just the two of them. _Where did Iminu-san go? Does she know? No, no. Just calm down Hinata._

"Hina," Naruto repeated as he took her hand, squeezing it. Hinata closed her eyes, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. Once the panic attack had passed, Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand back.

"Arigato Naruto-kun…Did – What did Imuni-san say?"

Naruto let go of her hand, the warmth immediately escaping her. He ran a hand through his blonde spiky hair, before sighing. "She just apologised. Don't worry about it."

Hinata nodded her head and the two began to eat their zenzai in an uncomfortable silence. Her bangs had hid her eyes from Naruto, but she could see that he had opened his mouth many times to converse only to close it after. She bit her lip, nervous at his hesitancy. He never had a problem with speaking his mind before. However, she could empathise with his nervousness. Today she would give him an answer. _Although, I'm sure he already knows that it's over. _  
>Once the two had finished eating, Hinata finally looked back at him before nodding her head. The two stood up and left the restaurant, walking side by side. Hinata took the time to admire Naruto, realising that this was her last chance to be selfish with him. She had thought that a few months ago would really be her last chance but it seemed Naruto did not want things to end on such a traumatic note as well.<br>Hinata gathered all the confidence she could muster, as she briskly walked in front of Naruto. She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled.

"Naruto-kun, let's go see the flower display ne?"

Taken aback by her sudden confidence Naruto froze, raising his eyebrows as he was shocked at her request. His eyes then crinkled as he broke out into a smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."

It had seemed like only yesterday Hinata had requested the same thing a year ago when they went to the Hanami festival. She took his hand, leading him the way. _I know I shouldn't hold your hand Naruto-kun but just this once I will listen to my heart and Hanabi. I'll be selfish just this once. _ Hinata smiled bitterly, remembering the last time she had guided Naruto was through the forest to that particular clearing.

Xxxxxx

**From here on out it is Chapter 4.5 **(**_flashback to end of September to October last year)_**

Hinata closed her eyes as she allowed the maids to attend to her. She felt her long tresses being brushed, her nails being filed then painted crimson and her face was granted the same attention as the maids covered her in make-up. She opened her eyes, staring at herself. Hinata gave the maids a slight smile, which seemed to satisfy them as they left quickly so Hinata could be alone. She exhaled, relieved that she was once again alone. Her body still itched from the bath the maids had given her. They had scrubbed her pale skin until Hinata began wincing since it was red. Their reasoning had been that she had bruised and dirtied her body so much these past few weeks during training and missions. It was supposedly their duty to make sure she was clean and presentable for today.  
>It had only be four weeks since her father's passing. It was sudden and unexpected. Hinata had been the only witness of his heart attack. One minute he was saying that he was proud and then suddenly he was gasping for air, as he was short on breath. <em>Otosan… I wonder what you wanted to say at that time. <em>Hinata bit her lip as she clenched her fists. She could not afford to break now. Hinata could feel the tears rising but she kept reminding herself how long the maids had spent on her this morning and how selfish it would be for her to just suddenly cry. _I am not alone in my grief. Hanabi needs me. My clan needs me. _Fixated on that belief, Hinata stood up and left her room.

An hour late, Hinata's inauguration ceremony as the new Head of the Hyuga clan was finished. The ceremony was private and she had only been allowed to invite her team mates to come. She huffed as she sat down on the bench in the gardens. Hinata gazed at her reflection as she looked at the koi pond. _I'm the Head of the clan now… _Hinata felt tears on her flowery red kimono, _why am I crying? I should be happy. This is what I wanted. _ She wiped away the tears quickly as she heard footsteps approaching.

It was fruitless though as her guest had place their hands over her eyes, "Guess who?"

"Hello Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi wiped her hands on her kimono before taking a seat beside her sister. "Onee-san, don't cry please."

"I'm not crying," Hinata mumbled as she sniffled.

Hanabi grabbed Hinata's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Onee-san, when I turn eighteen let me challenge you for the position of Head."

Hinata flicked her head to her little sister. _Does Hanabi intend to free me from the title of head?_

"Is this what you want?" She questioned.

"Hinata, no matter what anyone says, Father was proud of you. **_I am_** proud of you. You exceeded this clan's expectations and you're the Head now. I have no doubt you'll be excellent demo… it's just I can't stand to see you like this!"

Hinata bit her lip as she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Like what?"

"Trapped Onee-san. You won't be able to see your friends much and what about Kiba-kun and Shino-kun? You're a family and a team. You won't be able to do missions again Onee-san," Hanabi sighed, "and there's also Naruto-kun. How will you manage that with him becoming Hokage? You'll both be awfully –"

Hanabi stopped talking as she felt her older sister poke her on the cheeks. "Busy?" Hinata giggled, "Hanabi-chan arigato for worrying but I've taken all that into consideration already. It's too late to back down now, I never go back on my word. That is my ninja way."

Hinata smiled as she pulled her little sister in for a hug. "Hanabi," she whispered, "I look forward to fighting you in three years."

Xxxx

It had been a week since Hinata had been formally titled as the Head of the clan. Her usual schedule had been altered, forcing Hinata to become accustomed to the many requirements the Head must fulfil. She had learnt that if it was not in her Father's will for Hinata to be appointed as the new Head, the elders would have chosen Hanabi. It was widely known by the whole clan that Hanabi had been trained for the role whereas, Hinata had not. Hinata had little experience or knowledge, as her Father had only recently began to teach her. This forced Hinata's time as Head to be split between duties and lessons through the elders. She hardly had time for herself or to train with her team mates. Hinata recalled that she had asked about going to train but the elders reprimanded her saying that she had trained solidly for four weeks prior to her inauguration.  
>She sighed as she fell onto to her bed, <em>Hanabi was right. I am trapped and merely a puppet. The elders truly do pull the strings. I can't let them control everything. <em>Hinata rolled onto her stomach, huffing as she stretched on her bed. Ever since she had become the Head, her property had been moved into her Father's room. However, room was an understatement. It seemed more like its own private living quarters. Hinata was still trying to get used to all the space.  
>Hinata sat up as she heard a knock on her screen, she walked over to her table and sat down in seiza position. She pulled out a scroll, pretending to read it.<p>

"Enter," she commanded.

Hinata watched as her younger sister had slid into the room, with a grin plastered on her face. She raised an eyebrow at Hanabi.

"You'll never guess what I heard Onee-san! I was walking past the hospital and I overheard Sakura-san talking to Ino-san that Naruto-kun will be back in a few days. "Hanabi moved to sit across from Hinata similarly in seiza. She leaned against the table, still grinning, "Are you going to greet him at the gate?"

Hinata blushed, "Well – I – maybe. We'll see Hanabi-chan."

"Maybe? You're his girlfriend!" Hanabi exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.

Hinata closed the scroll, smiling at Hanabi. "You're right. I'll go meet him, "Hinata stood up, "now if you'll excuse me I need to use the bathroom."

Xxxx

Hinata closed her eyes shut, hoping the severely painful cramps in her stomach would subdue. Amidst all the chaos of these past five weeks, Hinata had forgotten about her period. However, she could tell through the heavy bleeding that she was definitely on her period. _Wait, five weeks? I was late by a week then… _Hinata bit her lip, nervous about what that meant. Her lower abdomen had felt heavier and painful than ever before.  
>Hinata flushed the toilet and leaned against the bathroom bench as she sighed. Ever since her period had come late, she frequently had to urinate, she was fatigued and had such sore breasts. Normally, she would feel fatigued when on her period but now she felt as if she had hardly slept. Hinata began to massage her temples, <em>what does this all mean? I can ask Sakura-chan but she might tell Naruto-kun and I don't want to worry him… I'll have to see Tsunade-sama. <em>

Fortunately for Hinata, the elders had allowed her to have the rest of the afternoon off. She washed her hands and forced her distressed face to fall into a content one, feigning that her doubts were non-existent. _I can't upset Hanabi. _ Yet, it seemed that it had been pointless as Hinata's room was empty when she returned. She found a note scribbled on her table, Hinata giggled as she read it.

_Onee-san it's very weird to read a scroll on jutsus upside down. I'm going on a mission with my team, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon._

_Ps. You should rest Onee-san, you don't want to look like a zombie when you greet Naruto, do you? Ja ne!_

Xxxxx

Hinata clutched her hands together, scowling at herself that her palms were sweaty. _Hanabi's right, after I finish seeing Tsunade-sama I'll take a nap. Perhaps I'm over-working myself. _Although, Tsunade was no longer Hokage, she was still a big contributor to the village. Tsunade continued to work at the hospital, as well as opening a clinic specifically for women. When Hinata entered Tsunade's office, the Godaime was reading over papers. She placed them down, smiling at Hinata.

"Hinata-chan, what can I do for you?"

Hinata smiled and walked over to the couch to sit down. She took a deep breath in and out. "Tsunade-sama, it might not be anything serious demo… my period came five weeks late and since then I've had very painful cramps and heavy bleeding."

"Hinata-chan… I'm going to ask you some personal questions, is that okay?"

Hinata nodded, and Tsuande moved over to sit next to her on the couch. She bit her nail and then removed it from her lips.

"Did you and Naruto have sex about five or six weeks ago?"

Hinata blushed and bit her lip, "Hai."

"Did you use protection?"

Hinata blushed profoundly remembering the night they had made love to each other. Naruto at that time did not have a condom but Hinata had insisted it was fine. They were going to start a family together after all.

"No, we did not. " She said as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You said you've had heavy bleeding, was there also small blood clots?"

Hinata nodded unsure of where Tsuande was going with this information. Tsunade's head was tilted down, her hair covering her eyes. Slowly, she moved her hand over Hinata's grabbing it gently.

"Hinata-chan, I'm so sorry to tell you this but you've," Tsunade paused and exhaled, "you've had an early miscarriage."

Hinata froze and shook her head, "I – I – I don't understand."

"It's possible for women to have a miscarriage at five weeks without knowing they are pregnant. I really hate to give you such news at a time like this."

Hinata covered her mouth with her free hand as she felt the tears begin to spill upon her face. She cried silently and began to tremble. As Tsunade pulled her in for a hug, her face became hidden in Tsunade's chest allowing her to wail. Hinata kept apologising through her cries. _I'm a failure. I'm so hopeless. I've let down Naruto-kun. I can't give him a family. I killed our child. I killed our baby. I killed an innocent child. This is all my fault. Stupid Hinata. Stupid girl. My fault. My fault. _Hinata's breath became rapid, distraught at the sudden news. _What good am I? So unworthy. So hopeless. Naruto-kun won't want me now. I can't provide a family. I can't give him something he's always wished for. If Naruto-kun doesn't want me, who will I have? I'll be alone. The Hyuga will renounce my status. It would bring shame to them. I've shamed my family. I've shamed my clan. Deflowered before marriage and a miscarriage, I've brought dishonour to them. Dishonour to Naruto-kun. No. Why me? No. This can't be real. No. This is a nightmare. No. I don't want to hear anymore. Please stop. Stop. Stop._

Tsunade's hands rubbed gently on Hinata's back, trying to soothe her. Hinata had not heard any words from Tsunade but she thought perhaps that it was best Tsunade had not said anything. Hinata pulled away from Tsunade and wiped her tears, she saw her hands still shaking and gripped her jacket.

"The baby… what happened to the baby?" She whispered.

Tsunade grabbed Hinata's hand again, giving it a squeeze. "It's not your fault Hinata-chan. There is always a possibility that the first trimester can result in a miscarriage. This early in the pregnancy the baby is as small as a sesame seed."

Hinata gasped as her hand flew to her mouth, "You mean," she gulped, "the small blood clots were…"

Tsunade nodded sadly, "I'm sorry Hinata-chan."

Xxxxx

Hinata stared out the window, ignoring the scrolls she was told to read over before noon. For Hinata, time was non-existent and merely a concept that she had ignored. Tsunade had told her that it was most likely a chromosomal abnormality that caused the miscarriage. She had tried to reassure her second trimester would result in a healthy pregnancy and baby. It had been a little reassuring to know that but it did not lessen any of the pain and guilt she felt. _How do I tell Naruto-kun? _Hinata came to the conclusion that if she did in person she would break down and cry. However, if she wrote him a letter that would be cowardly. She sighed as she rested her head against the table, _how many days have passed? _  
>Ever since she had returned from the clinic, Hinata engrossed herself in work. The more she worked, the less people would talk to her and notice her. She believed that. She didn't want anyone to look at her and ask her what was wrong. Hinata already knew she looked awful and horrendous. She had a forming dark shadow under her eyes from the lack of sleep. The elders had made no comment about it but suggested that she take a break every now and then. <em>But if I stop working I'll only think. I'll think about the baby. I need to work so I don't have to think about the baby. <em>That idea though was easier said than done. When she had walked around the compound earlier she had seen little children and her heart ached at the realisation her child would never exist in this world. Her child would not play with others like the children she saw. _Everywhere I go, everything I do, it all comes back to the baby. _  
>It felt surreal to know that she and Naruto's child would be non-existent in this world. They would never have the chance to hold or see their baby. They would never know its gender or the memories they could have shared.<br>Hinata closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into her arms. _Okasan, Otosan, Neji-niisan. Please look after our baby. _

Hinata closed the scroll and glanced at Hanabi with a condescending look. "I am the Head of the Hyuga clan. I do not have time to frolic about to meet Naruto-kun.**"**

Hanabi gritted her teeth, annoyed at her older sister. "Fine, do whatever you want Hyuga-sama!" She stormed out of her sister's quarters looking flustered and walked straight to her room.

Hanabi flopped onto her bed and buried her heard into her pillow. _What's with Onee-san? Ever since I came back from my mission she's been acting weird. _

The day Hanabi had returned from her mission she had hoped to continue her conversation with Hinata about Naruto. However, Hinata had closed off her quarters from anyone and only came out to eat or for meetings with the council. Moreover, Hinata would only go out to eat whenever Hanabi was not in the compound or in her room but according to the maids the Hyuga Head ate little. She was worried for her Onee-san. _Is the role of Head becoming too much for her? No – Hinata's strong. Onee-san must be dealing with something else. _Hanabi rolled over onto her back and stared at her ceiling. It was only yesterday that Hinata had re-opened her quarters for others to visit on emergencies only. Tonight was the first time Hanabi had been able to talk to her older sister after four days. Hinata's quarters were a mess. There were scrolls scattered everywhere, ripped fabric, empty glasses, and moreover Hinata looked like a mess on closer inspection. Hanabi tried to tease her sister about Naruto to make her laugh but apparently it was not something Hinata found amusing anymore. _Naruto-kun, where are you? My Onee-san needs you baka. _

Hanabi heard a faint knock on her door and sat up to see whom it was.

"Onee-san?!"

Hinata smiled at her, and Hanabi realised it did not reach her eyes.

"I'm going to go see Naruto-kun. Please don't wait up. I'll be back in the morning." Her voice had sound rehearsed, Hanabi lied back down knowing that when her sister was ready to talk about it, she would talk about it.

"I understand. Ja ne," she waved at her onee-san as Hinata bowed and left the room. Hanabi activated her byakugan, watching her sister release a heavy breath as she leaned against Hanabi's door, clutching her chest. _ Otosan, Okasan and Neji-niisan, please watch over Onee-san. _

_xxxx_

**All the information I have used regarding miscarriages is true. It is unfortunately possible to miscarriage at 5 weeks. **

**I'm sorry if I have offended anyone also. **

**Next chapter will be a continuation of this flashback. The long awaited moment of Naruto and Hinata's conversation will be revealed. As you all know, I'm in my last year of schooling so there's a 50/50 chance there will be an update next week.**

**Please review xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Apologies that there was no Sasuhina interaction last chapter but I can assure there will be many more moments to come (eg: this chapter ends with an intense Sasuhina moment ooOOooo)**

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites. The endless support and encouragement I get from you readers is wonderful and motivates me to write. Another late chapter, it seems my updates are quite random. **

**This chapter will be a continuation of chapter 5.5, so it will begin as a flashback chapter and eventually return to the original timeline ie the festival.**

**Chapter 6: Chapter 5.5**

Hinata could feel her heart pounding as she brought her knuckles against Naruto's door. She let it rest on the door, hesitating whether she should knock or not. _I do know where he keeps the spare keys but…_Hinata bit her lip and clutched her jacket. It was late and she was positive Naruto would be confused as to why his door was being opened this late at night. Hinata sighed resting her forehead on the door, _what do I do? Is this the right thing to do?_ Suddenly Hinata felt her feet giving way as she fell forward into Naruto's arms.

"Hinata! I thought it was you but I didn't think you'd literally be on the door dattebayo!" Naruto dragged her in, keeping his arms wrapped around her. Closing the door behind him, he nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked. Hinata had noticed he was wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep…I missed you Hina," he whispered. Before she knew it Hinata felt hot kisses on her neck, she let out a moan and entwined her fingers in his blonde hair. _Oh Kami, she missed him. _When his lips moved to her collarbone and his hands began to fiddle with the zipper of her jacket she became alarmed and grabbed his hands. 

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her, "Hinata?"

Hinata bit her lip and sighed, "I – I can't do this."

Naruto leaned in, resting his forehead on hers and his arms resting above her head. "Sorry, I was being selfish. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you Hina." He ran a finger down her jawline, "I'll make some tea okay?"

Hinata nodded and watched her shirtless boyfriend walk over to his kitchen. For a moment she had thought Naruto was referring to the pregnancy. Fortunately, he had not noticed the surprise in her eyes or perhaps he had. Naruto was always good at noticing small details people tended to overlook. Hinata sat down at his table and waited patiently for her tea. Hinata was unsure if she was grateful or terrified of the silence in the room. She had stared at every other possible object in the room besides Naruto. Meanwhile, she could feel his eyes on her. He leaned against the counter, with his arms crossed as he waited for the water to finish boiling. Before she knew it, Naruto placed a mug of tea in front of her and sat across from her with a similar plain red mug.

She smiled at him as she took a sip of her tea. "How was your mission?"

"I spent most of it in little villages that were heavily affected by the war. Rebuilding and providing resources. You know how it is," he waved his hand as if dismissing the conversation.

Hinata nodded her head and drummed her fingers against the mug.

"Naru –"

"Hina– "

They both laughed awkwardly, Naruto scratched his cheek. "You go first."

Hinata took a deep breath in and fiddled with the fabric of her jacket. "There's something I need to tell you Naruto-kun."

Naruto took a sip of his tea and nodded his head slowly. "Okay."

She closed her eyes, trying to find the right words. She opened them slowly, finding azure eyes to the side of her face. _I didn't even hear him move. _ He crouched down beside her and ran his hand through her indigo hair. "Hinata, you know you can tell me anything. I'll always be here for you."

Hinata glanced at Naruto and felt her eyes begin to water. Suddenly, Hinata felt her lips tremble and her body begin to shake. She threw her arms around Naruto and began to sob. "Gomennasai. Gomennasai," she muffled out through her cries. Naruto's arm encircled around her waist pulling her in a hug and his other hand caressed her hair. He kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her.  
>She was unsure of how much time had passed when she had finally calmed down. Hinata was sitting on Naruto's lap and had her head leaned against his chest. <em>I need to tell him. I can't just cry and hope for it all to be fixed. <em>

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, "let's go for a walk."

Xxxxxx

Naruto felt anxious about whatever Hinata had to tell him. She had reluctantly took his hand and began to drag him somewhere. It seemed Hinata was dreading whatever she wanted to say. Moreover, Hinata continuously avoided his gaze, looking away whenever he had tried to look her in the eyes. Although she had calmed down, her eyes were still a little red and puffy from crying. Naruto was angered at himself that he would leave his girlfriend alone for five weeks. He felt terrible for leaving her all alone to deal with the death of her father. It was surreal to him because during his return to Konoha he had planned to talk to Hiashi Hyuga about having Hinata's hand in marriage. Nartuto frowned, he had hoped nothing would change during the five weeks he was gone. However, it seemed a lot had changed.

After returning from his mission earlier today and seeing Kakashi-sensei, Naruto had cleaned up and changed his clothes. He then proceeded to the Hyuga compound to visit Hinata only to be denied entry. The guards had said "Hinata-sama has requested to deny entry to outsiders into the compound and her own quarters." That statement had confused Naruto since he was positive Hinata did not have that type of authority. He had arched his eyebrows at the guards and scratched his chin. He questioned them whether he could see the Head of the clan instead. The guards had looked dumbfounded and confused. It was only until another guard had piped in and explained that Naruto most likely had not heard the news but Hiashi-sama had passed away five weeks ago. Hinata-sama was now the Head of the clan. Recently, her demeanour had changed and she had engrossed herself in work and sees no one.

Naruto looked at his girlfriend, recalling that the guards had mentioned that her change in behaviour had only began at the start of the week. _Something else is affecting her but what is it? _Hinata's grip had tightened on Naruto's hand as they began to head towards the forest. The walk was silent, besides there breathes and his rapid heartbeat. Knowing Hinata though, he was sure she was just as nervous. He glanced at the stars quickly, wondering if fate had entwined him and Hinata together. _She's the one. _The only woman he would ever love. His feelings for her, albeit they had surfaced late, he realised were always there for her. They had slowly developed but he knew deep down for a long time that he had harboured some sort of feelings for her. Now, as a man he knew he was in love with her. Naruto was terrified as Hinata had been acting strange ever since she came by. _I don't know what I'll do if she stops loving me. _

He was so lost in thought, he had not noticed that Hinata had stopped walking. He walked right into her, earning him a quiet squeak from his girlfriend.

"Gomen Hina," he said.

Hinata did not reply but rather she walked over to a stone and kneeled down into seiza. Naruto followed behind her, noticing that they were in a clearing that seemed untouched. He knelt beside her and proceeded to pray similarly to Hinata. He felt the sweat on his hands, as his palms came together. He darted his eyes away from Hinata, hoping that she did not notice that he was jumpy. Fortunately for him, it seemed Hinata's mind was preoccupied with other things as she made no comment. Swiftly, his eyes read the kanji engraved on the stone, _baby. _His breathe hitched as he felt Hinata's hands clutch onto his.

For the first time, excluding the time she cried, Hinata really looked at him. He saw guilt and heartbreak in her eyes and noticed the bags beneath them. It also seemed she had lost some weight. Her beautiful and blissful looking profile was heartrending and terrible. Hinata let go of his hands and shuffled a little away from him. She looked towards the darkness of the forest, taking a deep breath in.

"I've always wanted to be the Head of the clan. I wanted to prove my family that I was capable enough, that I am not a failure. I thought my succession as Head meant that but I was wrong. I'm a failure and incapable of the thing I've always desired. Giving you a family, **_being your_** family has always been my greatest desire. I've wanted nothing more. But now, I don't know what I want anymore. I don't want to be Head and I can't give you a family." Hinata felt the tears begin to fall, she clutched her pants, hoping that she could pull herself together.

"It's okay Hina, don't rush it. I'll wait." Hinata snapped her head quickly to Naruto, surprised he had said that. She thought he would interrupt her and ask about what she meant but it seemed he wanted to listen first. Hinata nodded and continued on.

"That night, when we made love to each other… I – I got pregnant. I was pregnant." She whispered out the last bit, it was the first time she had ever said those words aloud.

"I didn't even know I was pregnant Naruto. I miscarried at five weeks, just a few days ago. I'm such a failure, I'm so hopeless." Hinata covered her mouth, trying to smother out her cries.

"We would have had a baby and I killed it. Gomennasai, this is all my fault. I can't give you a family. I can't. I can't." Hinata bowed before Naruto, crying on the ground.

Hinata was sure that the silence meant Naruto detested her. She was too afraid to look up and meet his gaze. _What will he say?_

"Hinata," he whispered. She felt Naruto's hands on her waist as he pulled her up into a hug.

"It's not your fault, okay? I love you, okay?" He kissed her forehead and then her cheeks and then her lips. "Please, please don't blame yourself. These things happen. I'll talk to Tsunade-bachan and make sure everything's fine with you. We can always try again –"

"No!" Hinata cried out. She pushed Naruto off of her as she shook her head. "We can try again? I know that Naruto. I know that," she heaved out a breath and placed a hand on her stomach. "It won't be the same Naruto. It won't be the same baby that would have grown from our first child. It's my fault. I killed our baby."

Hinata threw her hands in the air, her tone raising louder, in anger "What kind of person doesn't know she's most likely to get pregnant after having unprotected sex? Me! Foolish, ignorant Hinata!"

Naruto grabbed her hands, trying to calm her down. "Hinata –"

"No. Please don't tell me you love me and it's going to be okay. It isn't going to be okay. It hurts so much Naruto. It physically and emotionally aches me Naruto. I look at you and I imagine the baby. I look at your eyes and I feel so guilty and worthless."

Hinata squinted her eyes shut for a moment and sighed. "I don't want to be with you anymore."

She heard the leaves beneath them shuffle. Hinata assumed Naruto was standing up. "You don't mean that, do you Hina?"

She opened her eyes and found Naruto's face centimetres away from hers. His once gleaming eyes seemed saddened and lost.

"Do you love me Hinata?" He quietly asked.

Hinata felt the tears prickle her eyes. She reached out her hand and placed it on Naruto's cheek. He leaned into it as she replied.

"Always. I will always love you. You're my first love Naruto…. I just can't be with you anymore."

He placed his hand over hers and closed his eyes. "I don't plan on giving up on you. I want you to think about us Hina, because I really want you. I really want you to be a part of my life forever. I **_need _**you."

It had felt like hours before Hinata had finally replied. The air had gotten colder and dawn was slowly creeping upon them.

"Okay."

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he heard her reply, "Really? You'll think about it?"

Hinata nodded and Naruto cleared his throat. "Good…. Uh how about…" Naruto scratched his cheek pondering on when Hinata should give him an answer. He decided to go with the first festival that came to his mind.

"The Hinami festival? Give me an answer at the Hinami festival, okay?"

**End of chapter 5.5**

Xxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter 6:**

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Sakura dragged him off to another mindless game stall. To say that he was annoyed was an understatement. He was **_agitated_**. He had planned to spend the day with both Naruto and Sakura. Yet, somehow the idiot had managed to ditch them to spend time with the Hyuga. _I thought they had broken up but it seems I was wrong. _It was strange though, he was sure that Naruto had looked overly depressed at the mere mention of her when they had trained together. He even noticed the surprise in Sakura's face when Naruto came over to tell them he was going with Hinata to eat. _So it seems I'm not the only person in the dark here about those two. _Sasuke wondered why Naruto's relationship had bothered him. Perhaps it was because the bond between him and Naruto was so strong that it was peculiar to see him so heavily affected by another bond. In Sasuke's mind, he and Naruto's bond was of the highest degree, nothing and no one would change that. Their paths had strayed yet entwined time and time again. _What is his bond with Hyuga Hinata? _Sasuke recalled Naruto saying that he was in love with her but what sort of love was that? Was it on the same wavelength as the love he possessed for Sasuke?

"Sasuke-kun, are you even listening?" Sakura said, with her hands on her hips.

Sasuke blinked at her, "Hn."

Sakura plastered on a fake smile, "Have the rest of the candy then." Sakura handed him some candy, to which Sasuke scrunched his nose in disgust.

Sasuke lowered his eyebrows, "Sakura…"

"Didn't you hear? I said do you want some and you said hn," she mimicked. Sakura took the candy out of his hand and popped some into her mouth. "I expect that behaviour from Naruto but from you it was totally unexpected."

Sakura turned on her heel to face Sasuke. She grinned, as she poked his chest. "What's got you thinking so much, eh?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, and pressed his lips into a thin line. _Sakura knows me too well. Shit. _

"It's nothing," he replied. Sasuke started to walk past her but Sakura held out her arm to stop him.

"Doesn't sound like nothing. You seem annoyed."

"I am annoyed. **_You're_** annoying," he retorted.

Sakura laughed and put her arm down, letting him pass. "I haven't heard that in a while." She followed after him, falling beside him as they walked.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eyes, _if anyone has a slightest clue as to what's going on between Hinata and Naruto it would be Sakura…_

He cleared his throat and said, "Naruto and the Hyuga girl, I thought they were separated."

Sakura titled her head at Sasuke, confused at his statement. She then smiled when she realised Sasuke was confiding in her.

"They are," she smiled sadly, "but from what we saw today it looks like they've patched things up…"

"They were fighting?"

Sakura shook her head, "That's not it. They just weren't talking or something. Hinata-chan changed completely after Naruto came back from a five week mission. I have no idea what happened but Naruto always said it was fine. That he and Hinata would sort it out soon. Months passed by and they became just like strangers. Hinata-chan merely became a name to us also. We hardly saw her and if we did, conversation would be short and rehearsed on her part. I don't know what's going on but appearing like that today all of a sudden and with some sort of 'promise' between them to meet today. It makes no sense." He noticed Sakura grit her teeth, annoyed at the situation.

"I really like Hinata-chan but I don't want her to hurt Naruto anymore. For a while he was just a shell of himself. He did missions and what not but he hardly talked or laughed. It was only until recently when we heard that you'd be back soon did Naruto start to return to his happy self… Although, I'm sure some of it is a facade. That idiot, not wanting any of us to worry about him."

Sakura stopped in her tracks and looked down at her feet with clenched fists. "I never want to see him like that again. I'm scared Sasuke-kun, what's going to happen today?" She whispered.

Sasuke placed his hand on Sakura's hair and ruffled it. Unsure if this was the best way to comfort her.

"I don't like it one bit at all Sakura."

Sakura glanced up at him with teary wide eyes. Suddenly the two stepped away from each other as they heard Naruto's voice in the distance calling for them. Sasuke squinted his eyes when he noticed Hinata following behind Naruto, hand in hand. _Tch. _

"Teme! Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled, "Hello Naruto, and Hinata-chan it's really good to see you."

Hinata smiled, Sasuke could tell it was forced as if she was uncomfortable. _Good. She deserves to be uncomfortable. _"Hello Sakura-chan, Uchiha-san."

"Hn," he greeted.

"Hey, Sakura-chan can I talk to you privately quickly. Please, it'll only take a second dattebayo!" Naruto pleaded. Sakura rolled her eyes and agreed, he watched as the two disappeared leaving him alone with Hinata.

Hinata darted her eyes away from Sasuke, clenching her yukata. _Good, I make her nervous. _

"Hyuga," he said, "I don't know what the hell you think you're doing but I would stop if I was you."

Hinata glanced at him narrowing her eyes, "You don't have any right to say that Uchiha-san."

Sasuke clenched his teeth, stepping closer to her so he could tower over her. "I **_do._** Naruto's family to me and if I ever hear again that he turns into some depressed –"

"Are you threatening me Uchiha-san? You or no one has no idea what's going on between Naruto-kun and I. Furthermore, it's none of **_your _**business and I would prefer if you and the others stopped trying to mediate it."

_This woman, I swear to Kami. _She was feisty. Her statement was bold but said in such a quiet tone. It was perplexing to him. He understood the notion of not wanting anyone else to be involved. After his family's massacre he did not any want help from anyone. He didn't want their sympathy.

"That's unwise for someone of your standing."

Hinata's head snapped up at him and she met his eyes. "You of all people should understand Uchiha-san. **_No one _**can understand how I feel..." Hinata turned away from his eyes at glanced at Naruto and Sakura's figures in the distance.

"Do you dislike me Uchiha-san? It's okay. I hate myself more so than anyone, so it doesn't bother me if you do," Hinata softly said. She stepped away from him as Naruto and Sakura began to approach them.

_She's wrong. I don't dislike her. I hate her. _

_xxxx_

**ahhh, this was a really difficult chapter for me to write. I hope you all enjoyed it. **

**Please review , until next time xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys so sorry that this next chapter has come late but these past few weeks have been SO BUSY I've had four tests last week and an assignment and it just got insanely crazy. This is quite a short chapter since I've had some writers block. It's more so getting the words down and heading into the direction I want the story to go! **

**This chapter isn't that eventful compared to the previous ones, but it's a stepping stone for the next chapter (which I'm looking forward for you to all read)! I really wanted to capture the friendship between Sasuke and Naruto, so I hope it's not OOC. **

**Also, I have really mixed feelings about this chapter. I don't hate it but I don't overly like most bits of it. So I'd appreciate the feedback. **

**Thanks for all the reviews as well and what not xxxx**

**Chapter 7:**

Sasuke sheathed his katana beside his hips as he sauntered back into the village. He took off his hawk mask and flicked his hair, attempting to move his bangs away from his eyes. It was dawn when he returned from his solo mission and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was peacefully sleeping. Sasuke wondered if this was how Itachi had envisioned peace. Silent and content. Although, Konoha had many things to rebuild, they had focused a lot of their efforts on helping small neighbouring villages that lacked the resources of a village with a Kage. This peace and content the whole village had with just being able to be alive was... _serene. _Sometimes it had made Sasuke irritated and envious. Much of the peace this village was built on was due to the oppression of his clan. The peace they had now was due to his and Naruto's efforts. Naruto whom this village once ostracised and shunned. _Tch. _Sasuke sometimes had to remind himself that Naruto no longer had resentments about it – **_he_** had forgiven them. Sasuke, on the other hand, had tried but he couldn't. He would not and **_could_** not forgive what this village has done to both his family and Naruto. The only sentiments he had for this village related to the memories with his family, his bond to Naruto, his familial feelings towards Team 7 and the sacrifice Itachi had made. He would protect Konoha because of those sentiments and nothing else. Nothing else mattered but those feelings.

_Speaking of the dobe, I wonder if he's moved from his bed. _It had been two days since Sasuke had left the village. The last time he had seen Naruto, he had been in bed and had looked solemnly depressed. His replies had consisted of one worded answers. His bright eyes and mind were now distant and gloomy.  
>It had all began the day after the Hinami festival. <em>I was right, that day was cursed to be a bad one the moment it began. <em> Following his normal routine, Sasuke had gone to visit Naruto early in the morning to drag him out of bed for a spar. However, when he had arrived, Naruto was already awake. He was sitting on his couch, with his head in his hands. Sasuke had noticed that his body was tense. Momentarily, there was a coarsely laugh. Naruto had then said that he was an idiot, it was over a long time ago. It was not difficult for Sasuke to narrow down Naruto's agony to come from Hyuga Hinata.

Sasuke frowned as he got closer to Naruto's apartment. From what he had learnt at the festival, Hinata and Naruto had not been together for a few months. Then, they had gotten together for the day out of the blue. It had made no sense to anyone. The two appeared to be content together but anyone close to them could tell that those feelings were a façade. Hinata and Naruto had a tense atmosphere between them. Sasuke knew it was not the 'I strongly dislike you' atmosphere. But, he knew it was tense. _Something happened. Something that Naruto can't even talk about. Something neither of them can talk about. _ He clenched his fists as he made his way up the stairs to the apartment. It was in moments like these that Sasuke became agitated at himself. He owed Naruto everything. Yet, there was nothing he could when his best friend was miserable.

Sasuke stood in front of Naruto's door hesitantly. _What do I do? _He had no idea how he should help him. Sasuke was not the type to lend helping hand out of the blue. He sighed, he still had to hand in his mission report. _I'll do it after this._  
>Using the spare key under the mat, Sasuke unlocked the door. There was a tiny bit of him hoping that Naruto was his energetic and loud self again. However, he had crushed that in seconds, <em>I've got to be realistic here<em>. _Naruto probably hasn't even moved._ Sasuke trailed right in to Naruto's quarters as if he lived there. That statement was mostly true as he did always end up sleeping at Naruto's more than he did at Kakashi's. For one, Naruto hardly nagged Sasuke about doing things or questioned his every motive.  
>Sasuke groaned as he walked into Naruto's room. He was right to crush every tiny bit of hope he had. Naruto was still in bed. There were ramen cups everywhere and he was positive Naruto had not bothered to keep his hygiene in check.<p>

"Oi, dobe."

Naruto groaned and rolled over, "Sasuke? Aren't you leaving for your mission?"

Sasuke's eyes twitched, _well at least he replied with a sentence this time_. "I just came back from it."

"Oh." He rolled back over, and buried his head back into his pillow.

Sasuke unsheathed his katana in seconds and had the tip of the blade resting on Naruto's neck. "Don't give me such a pathetic reply. It's been two days – "

"I know," Naruto croaked out. Naruto's fingers circled around the blade and gripped it.

"Sasuke, you could stab me with this and I wouldn't even notice. It already feels like I'm being speared to death."

"Hn," swiftly he pulled the katana away from Naruto's hands and sliced Naruto's back open.

Poof!

Naruto's shadow clone disappeared and Sasuke massaged the bridge of his nose. _Well at least he got out of bed. Guess I'll go change or have a shower. _

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn't take long for Sasuke to find Naruto. Ever since the war, it was never too difficult to sense his presence. Sasuke didn't mind. It was as if the world was reminding him he would always have someone.  
>Naruto was crouched over a garden bed in the Uchiha district. It was beside the house Sasuke was currently building.<p>

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Naruto wiped the dirt off onto his orange pants and smiled sadly. "Just some gardening. Hinata also liked gardening…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Are you as stupid as you look?"

"Eh?"

"Did you really think a shadow clone would fool me? Also if you plant ugly flowers I'll actually slice you in half this time."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, awkwardly laughing. "I didn't realise you'd be coming back so soon. And hey! You didn't actually have to listen to what my clone said."

"Whatever, let's go." Sasuke turned on his heel and walked out of the district with Naruto following behind.

"Sasuke… I don't really feel like sparring," he called out.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He really needed to spar to let out some tension. Sasuke had to always hold back in missions now since his strength overpowered many very easily. It was only in his spars with Naruto could he fight at one hundred percent.

"Don't make assumptions," he spat out. "We're going to the Hokage tower first and then I'll treat you to some ramen for breakfast or lunch." He muttered out the last bit because he had hoped Naruto would never tell anyone about his sudden kindness.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Naruto smile sincerely. "Brunch sounds good."

Sasuke let a small smile creep onto his face, pleased that Naruto had smiled.

Xxxx

After handing in his mission report, Sasuke headed back towards the exit. He nodded his head at Naruto, whom was kneeling against the wall, with one leg propped against it and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why'd ya drag me along just to hand in a report?"

Sasuke shrugged, as he placed his hand in his pocket. "I thought I should give you a reminder."

The two saviours of the world walked down the stairs, side by side in silence. As they finished one flight of stairs Naruto looked at Sasuke condescendingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke pushed Naruto against the wall abruptly and sneered at him.

"Isn't it your dream to become Hokage?"

"Of course it –"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Then start acting like it. You'll be responsible for a whole village Naruto. If you can't take care of yourself over some stupid heartbreak then how do you plan to take care of a village?"

Naruto lowered his eyes, "It's not stupid –"

"Who gives a shit? She certainly didn't," he yelled out.

Naruto's jaw clenched, he pushed Sasuke off of him. "Shut up! You don't know anything Sasuke!"

"You're right, I don't know anything. It's ironic, you go around asking me about my problems but when it comes to you Naruto, you refuse to tell a damn soul!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and punched him in the jaw.

"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of your work, you idiot."

Naruto laughed as he wiped the blood off his mouth. "Leave me alone you ass. I got a week off the roster. I'll mope about as much as I want this week."

Sasuke pressed his lips together into a thin line. "Whatever." He shrugged and turned on his heel, continuing to walk down the stairs.

Naruto stood up and followed behind him, "Hey teme! You're still buying me ramen dattebayo!"

Sasuke smiled, "Hn."

Xxxx

Sasuke rested his chin on his palm, staring off into his other hand. His other hand slowly spun a cup of sake. During his travels he had learnt the wonders of alcohol and the comfort it provided. It was intoxicating and blurred out a lot of the pain. It tasted bitter and burnt his insides, **_especially _**his throat. But the end result was always consistent. It would take away the agony for a few hours and it relaxed him. There was nothing else he could ask for.

_Don't be such a fool. Tch. _Sasuke massaged his forehead and sighed. It was only when he had a few drinks would he let his thoughts wonder. _Liar, liar, liar. _Sasuke smiled bitterly. _That's right. There's nothing else I want? Such bullshit. _Sasuke wanted the agony to be gone. He wanted the weight of it all it be lifted from his shoulders. It was a fruitless desire though. The suffering and hatred would never disappear. The darkness of it would always lie dormant in his heart. He was slowly healing though – _it's_ _all thanks to Naruto. _  
>Sasuke looked at him and smiled. <em>He seems a bit better now. <em>Naruto was slurping away at his large bowl of miso pork ramen. He had spat out some words here and there and Sasuke had nodded in response.

He was uncertain on how long both he and Naruto had been at Ichiraku Ramen. But once the shop had gotten busy due to it being lunch both he and Naruto had decided to take their leave. The two had waved their goodbyes to both Ayame and Teuchi, and were told to come again whenever they please.

Naruto yawned and stretched his arms in the air as they walked. He placed his hands behind his head.

"I don't know how you convinced the old man to let you have some sake. Especially this early in the day!"

Sasuke shrugged.

"You didn't use your sharigan or rinnegan on him did you? Because if you –"

Naruto stopped midway as he felt Sasuke glare at him.

"Does it look like I would use my eyes for something so insignificant?"

He gulped and shook his head.

"Hn."

The two continued to walk down the road, here and there girls would fawn over them from afar or run up to them. Whenever they did, Naruto would converse back to them. Sasuke on the other, would continue walking. He had no time for girls whom only cared about his looks and status. Moreover, he didn't even know how to talk to them. Hence, whenever Sasuke would walk off, Naruto would run after him leaving the girls behind. It was a continuous routine they followed until one particular girl ran up to them.

"Naruto-kun!" Hyuga Hanabi called out. He watched as the younger Hyuga sister, waved her hand in the air and ran to them. She was the opposite of her older sister. Hinata had more of a womanly figure and had a hint of lavender in her eyes. Whereas, Hanabi lacked curves and breasts. Sasuke gritted his teeth, _why am I even thinking about that damn Hyuga girl? _

"Oh! Hanabi-chan, hey!"

She flashed a smile and then blushed as she realised Sasuke was also there, "Uchiha-san," she grasped her hands together and bowed before him, "sumimasen about before. I did not mean to call you such rude names nor address Uchiha-san like that."

Sasuke was taken aback. She had apologised to him, as if the remarks she had made were life threatening. He turned his head away from her, "How trivial. I didn't even remember."

He heard the girl gasp. She stood up and turned her head away from Sasuke and Naruto. He observed her trying to control the faint blush on her cheek. Sasuke wanted to walk away but her next question had sparked his curiosity.

"I just thought I should apologise… Ah, Naruto-kun are you busy this afternoon?"

Naruto titled his head and scratched his cheek. "Hmmm… guess not, why? Does Hinata need help with something?"

Hanabi shook her head, "I just came back from visiting the Academy and Iruka-sensei was planning on asking you to hold another demonstration class this afternoon?"

"Nani? Wait – what were you doing at the Academy?"

Hanabi blushed as she responded. "Ever since I got promoted, I took on the job of teaching there. Since there's hardly any missions now I thought it would be nice. Also, since I'm at home I can look after my onee-san more."

Naruto grinned, "That's great Hanabi-chan! I'll be there this afternoon, yosh!"

"Arigato! Oh, Uchiha-san, if you want you could also –"

"No."

Naruto pouted and nudged him, "C'mon Sasuke, it'll be fun dattebayo!"

Sasuke curled his lip, disgusted at the thought of looking after children fun. "I'd rather be stuck in a room with Orochimaru."

Hanabi looked horrified at Sasuke's response.

"He really doesn't mean that Hanabi-chan."

"I do. That way, I could stab him as I please," Sasuke smirked, "you can't do that with children, can you?"

He waited for Hanabi to call him a monster or any other degrading term. Instead she laughed, "That's true, half of those kids are brats. But they are the future, so we need to look after them."

"Hn."

Naruto scratched his cheek, "Ah anyway…. How's Hinata?" He mumbled.

Hanabi looked down at her feet. "She's okay."

"I see… well, please look after her Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi raised her head and nodded, "Hai… Anyway I've got a clan meeting to attend to. Ja ne!"

Xxxxx

The rest of their walk was quiet. For once, Sasuke could not handle the silence.

"Why do you even care so much about her?"

"Huh? Well… I guess I just do. It's natural. "

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and Naruto followed in his stead. He glanced at Naruto and noticed him staring at the sun, he smiled sadly.

"You of all people should know what I'm like. I never gave up on you Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "That's different Naruto."

Naruto looked back at Sasuke and sighed.

"Do you know what it feels to be in love Sasuke? Sakura-chan's always been in love with you. Despite everything, she gives you endless love and never asks for more. I guess that's how I feel now about Hinata. I won't ask anything from her anymore since she's given me all of her love. She poured and poured and now she's empty Sasuke. She can't love herself because she can't forgive herself. I just want her to be happy again. I want her to experience love again. I'll always love her, that's never going to change. But, the next time she'll experience love, it won't be with me. All I can do for her now is make her understand that I'll cherish what he had forever. She's important to me. It's just like how you're important to me Sasuke… Do you see what I mean? You're the first person I've ever had a bond with. You're my first friend. Hinata… she's my first love. I just can't forget these relationships I've had which impacted my life."

Sasuke's eyes were wide, his eyebrows were raised and his eyes locked with Naruto's.

"What exactly did happen between you and Hyuga?"

Naruto smiled sadly, "A lot and nothing at the same time."

**Xxx**

**As I said, quite a short chapter. I wanted to post a least something for you all, because I didn't want to drag on posting this chapter up. Please review !**

**Thanks for reading! Xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and feedback! Shout out to everyone who reviewed and got excited that I finally updated. I'M EXCITED AS WELL. A lot of exciting things are beginning to happen and I've been waiting since the very start for you to all read the events that occur in this chapter. I realised that many of the next chapters might be short due to my busy schedule but I will try to the best of my abilities to update frequently and to have longer chapters. **

**This a long chapter so enjoy!**

** Chapter 8:**

_A lot and nothing at the same time…_

Those words were stuck in Sasuke's mind even after both he and Naruto had gone their separate ways. It was coaxed of hurt and contradiction. _What did Naruto mean by that? A lot and nothing at the same time…_  
>He gritted his teeth, Sasuke would just have to patiently wait. Before departing Naruto had promised him he'd tell Sasuke everything. He just needed to recollect his thoughts first. Sasuke stopped walking as he suddenly heard the sound of someone kicking a post. He blinked his eyes, Sasuke hadn't even realised he had walked towards the training ground. He sighed as he pinched his nose, <em>I really need to spar, damn it. <em>As he got closer to the training grounds, he recognised the figure instantly. The long indigo tresses swaying through the wind, the distinct womanly body that clung to her clothing and that irritating lip bite. Sasuke smirked, it seemed that today was his lucky day.

"Hyuga!" he called out.

As he had planned, she had turned around in surprise only to be met with his katana slicing off an inch of her hair. _I can't promise I'll hold back, it has been awhile. More importantly, it's her fault that Naruto refuses to spar. _  
>Fortunately for her, Hinata's fast reflexes had allowed her to dodge the katana from actually cutting into her. She flipped away and stood in the Hyuga stance.<p>

"Uchiha-san, what –"

Swiftly, she took out her kunai and began to block the masses of kunai and shuriken being flung towards her. Hinata's eyes popped out in surprise as she quickly saw Sasuke come behind her. It was too late with exponential speed he had elbowed her in the head.

"Pathetic, where's that 360 degree vision of yours."

Hinata winced at the pain, although her byakugan was activated, Sasuke had moved so fast she had completely missed him.

Sasuke grinned as he watched her bite her lip, "Are you going to cry Hyuga?"

Hinata reacted by immediately going straight into eight trigrams sixty four palms. Sasuke cursed at himself as it was too late to move away. He was already in her range of her jutsu. With alarming speed and strength, Hinata had begun to attack him and blocked his chakra pathway from one strike to sixty four strikes consecutively.

Sasuke breathed out as he was pushed back by Hinata. If he was anyone else, he would not be standing. It was ironic, the Hyuga's were famous for their Gentle Fist style yet Hinata's fists had felt anything but gentle.  
>Sasuke grinned, <em>it was fun while it lasted but perhaps she's reached her limit. <em>He observed Hinata huffing as she stood across from him in her Hyuga stance. He was being unfair, he admitted. She had been training before he had arrived, so it had only made sense that Hinata would be tired. However, that was pointless to dwell on. In real fights, there were no breaks.

Sasuke still had plenty of stamina to use. He stood up straight and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Since he no longer had any chakra to dispose of – _not that I was using it in the first place_ – Sasuke decided that the little spar could continue on with a particular area.

"Taijustu only, surely you can handle that Hyuga?" He questioned at her fatigued form.

Hinata stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, "Hai" she called out sternly.

Xxx

Sasuke liked to think that he had his emotions under control. However, perhaps he was wrong. His hatred and irritation at Hinata had consumed all of his common sense. Anyway could see that during their spar, Hinata was no match for an opponent like Sasuke. Moreover, she was fatigued and most likely injured. _She has spirit though. _Whilst Sasuke continued to fight with her, he noticed that her willpower and determination was strong. Slowly, her moves became slower, the strength in her hits decreased in force. Yet, she kept on fighting. It had reminded him so much of Naruto that he had gotten annoyed.

_She can't give up in a fight she obviously can't win but she can give up on Naruto? _Sasuke gritted his teeth and ducked at incoming round house kick from her. He retaliated by grabbing her suspended leg and throwing her across the field. 

"Give up Hyuga. It's pointless. You're too weak for me," he called out as he started to walk towards her body. For a second he had though she had died because she was not moving. But he watched her chest rise and then fall slowly. He released a breath of relief. _Naruto would murder me if I killed her by accident. _

"I told you didn't I? That if you hurt Naruto –"

"I know," she whispered. Hinata brought her arm over her eyes, attempting to cover the tears that followed. She began repeating the words under her breath, ignoring the tears dripping down her face.

Sasuke tapped her shoulder with his foot, "Hyuga, shut up. You look hideous when you cry."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say since Hinata kept crying. Sasuke watched her bite her lip as they began to tremble and eventually her whole body began to shake. Sasuke squinted his eyes shut, hard, for a moment. He then sighed as he opened them, only to find her still crying. He squatted down beside her and moved to tap her on the shoulder but froze midway.

Hinata's breathing had rapidly increased. Her chest was heaving up and down. Her body was sweating and he could not tell if it was from there spar or due to her sudden attack right now.

"Hey Hyuga, talk to me."

Hinata did not respond though. She continued to whisper that she was a failure. She was hopeless. She was a disappointment to herself and her clan. She was unworthy. She was weak. She was pathetic. She was stupid.

Sasuke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled Hinata up. He positioned her, so that the side of her body leaned against his chest. He then pressed his index and middle finger on her neck, feeling the beat of her heart. _Shit, it's beating fast. _

Sasuke immediately deduced that she was having an anxiety attack. There was no point in telling her to relax. _Come on Sasuke, think of something. Distract her with something. _

"Hey Hyuga, come on look at me," Sasuke grabbed her chin and tried titling it towards his eyes. "Hyuga look at me and count backwards from one hundred."

Hinata removed her arm away from her eyes and met Sasuke's eyes. Hinata was flushed and wide eyed. She turned away immediately, diverting her eyes from Sasuke. He clenched his jaw as he noticed her shortness in breath persisted.  
>Suddenly, he surprised both himself and Hinata. Placing his palm behind her head, Sasuke pulled her towards him roughly and kissed her.<p>

Hinata tasted like strawberries, her lips were sweet and despite all the lip biting she did they were delicate. His grip on her head loosened and his hand made its way to her cheek. His thumb caressed her face as he deepened the kiss. Hinata closed her eyes, falling into the kiss and wrapped her arms behind Sasuke's head. Sasuke softly moaned into her mouth as she began to run her fingers through his hair. He licked her lips, desiring for more and Hinata complied. She parted her lips and inhaled the air from Sasuke's lungs and allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. Sasuke opened his eyes quickly as soon as he felt the sensation of her tongue on his. He gazed at Hinata quickly, her face was less pale and she had seemed to calm down. He closed his eyes again, allowing Hinata to take the lead. After all, he had never kissed a girl. _But if this is what I was missing… I want more. _He gently moved his hand behind her head again and began to lower her onto the ground. Hinata opened her eyes in alarm as she felt her back hit the ground lightly. Sasuke parted his lips away from hers as he leaned over her. He placed his forehead on hers, keeping his eyes shut as he released a sigh. _I need to control myself. _

"Sasuke?" she whispered.

Hinata removed her hands away from his hair and placed it gently on his chest. She pressed on his chest softly, trying to push her off him. However, it seemed that Sasuke had other ideas.

Hinata blushed as Sasuke's nose brushed against hers as he moved his head to lean on her shoulder.

Sasuke's breath tickled her skin as he began to speak, "Hinata… just wait a little longer, okay?"

Hinata's breath hitched as she felt his lips press lightly on her neck. It had seemed like his lips were tattooed onto her skin after that. She could feel his chapped lips on her neck even after he removed it. Another minute had passed and the feeling had not disappeared. Suddenly, he rolled off of her and sat up turning his head away from her. Hinata sat up afterwards as well and ran her hands through her hair, trying to calm her senses down.

"He's gone," Sasuke commented in the silence. He looked back at Hinata, enjoying that she was flustered. _I certainly did distract her and in the end I distracted myself as well…_

"Was someone else…" Hinata activated her byakugan and scanned the area. Not too far away, was Naruto walking past the training ground. Hinata panicked, flicking her head back to Sasuke only to be met with a smirk.

"Don't worry, he didn't see a single thing Hyuga. If I stopped kissing you earlier, you would have ran straight into him after leaving."

In Sasuke's mind his main reasoning was that if Naruto saw how beat up and flustered Hinata was and knew that it was Sasuke's fault, he would be spending a long time with Sakura waiting for her to heal him. Deep down though Sasuke knew the real reason. He **_hated _**to admit it. But even he knew the real reason was due to his lust towards her.

Hinata's mouth formed an 'o'. Sasuke clenched his jaw, trying to punish himself. He had foolishly let his perverted thoughts to wonder to what he could fit in there. He looked away from Hinata, as he began to notice that his intense stare on her mouth were making her fidgety.

"Ah – um – arigato Uchiha-san for helping with my attack and with Naruto," she said fumbling over her words.

Hinata stood up and politely bowed. Sasuke tried to ignore her reddened cheeks as she turned to leave. His egotistical side said that it was due to him yet his logical side said that it was due to embarrassment. At the moment, Sasuke wanted to lean more towards his egotistical side.  
>Sasuke laid back down on the grass, covering his eyes with his arm. He had tried to supress these urges throughout his teens but it seemed it was of no use now. He gritted his teeth, <em>I hate hormones. <em>

xxx

By the time Sasuke returned home, it was late and the people of Konoha were preparing for their evening meals. Sasuke however, could not stomach anything at the moment. His hands trailed over his lips, _I kissed Hinata.  
><em>After laying on the grass for hours, contemplating about his life and what in the world was he really doing back in Konoha, for some unknown reason everything kept leading back to **_her. _**At first his decision to be here was for Naruto, so the two of them could adjust the shinobi system, he was here to uphold Itachi's sacrifice, and he was here because his only remaining family resided here. Yet he found more reasons for his stay. He was also here because he wanted to re-establish the Uchiha clan, he was here because Sakura needed closure on their strange relationship and he was here because Naruto was an emotional mess and needed him. Somehow Hinata's presence had managed to twist its way into his other reasons. She was the only other person – besides Sakura – that he would consider to be the matriarch of the Uchiha. Every other female had annoyed him, they were nosey and had Sasuke on an idiotic, fanatical pedestal. It irked Sasuke. It was as if he was a piece of meat for all of the females to devour as they pleased. _I hate that. _Sakura was once like those girls back when they first met, but she had grown and Sasuke did not mind her. The only problem was that he viewed her as a sister or a mother, nothing else. Hinata, had irritated him at first. Perhaps it was due to jealousy since her prestigious clan was alive. Or it was the fact that she had consumed a majority of Naruto's thoughts which used to be consumed by Sasuke. _Probably both, _he thought. Sasuke was not a fan of sharing and it had felt bizarre for Hinata's bond with Naruto to **_almost _**be on par with his bond with Naruto. However, he slowly realised that besides all of that, Hinata was an attractive, well-mannered woman. The only other problem he found was that she was the Head of the Hyuga and his best friend's ex-girlfriend. _Though, it didn't stop you from making out with her._

Sasuke sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like a complete and utter dick. Naruto needed support and kissing Hinata was not going to help. Moreover, he needed to stop thinking about her. He slammed the door shut as he walked into Kakashi's apartment. He was startled to find Kakashi on the recliner, reading one of his perverted novels.

"Hello Sasuke, what brings you home?" Kakashi asked, slamming his book shut.

"I do live here Kakashi," he spat out.

"You hardly stay here though," he pointed out.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, _it's too late. Kakashi's already figured out something's wrong. _

"Sit Sasuke, it's been awhile since I've scolded you."

Sasuke glared at Kakashi, scoffing as he made his way to the couch across from him. He flopped onto the couch, and scowled at his former sensei.

"Well?"

Kakashi smiled, "If you were fighting with Naruto you would've returned battered up," in seconds his smile dispersed and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "So I'm guessing it relates to Naruto one way or another."

Sasuke scoffed, as he circled his shoulder. Hinata had landed a few hits on his shoulder and even now it still hurt, _that damned vixen. _

"Does it have something to do with Hyuga Hinata?"

Sasuke paused and quickly glanced at Kakashi. Their eyes met and Kakashi smiled, flicking his book back open.

"I see," Kakashi continued to glance down at his book, "Hinata-chan is a nice girl. Despite looking meek, she's quite formidable. As the Head of the Hyuga, she's already accomplished a lot that her predecessors could not. I heard it was quite a shock for many of the –"

"We kissed," Sasuke suddenly blurted out quietly.

It was never Sasuke's intention to tell him but the bastard kept talking about her and it had irritated him. He needed to shut him up. Unfortunately, he used the wrong words.

Mid way through turning the page, Kakashi looked back at Sasuke surprised.

"It meant nothing anyway. She was having a panic attack and she wasn't listening to anything I was saying." He quickly gave an excuse, hoping Kakashi would buy it. _It's not like I'm lying anyway. _

Kakashi closed his book shut and leaned forward towards Sasuke. "If it means nothing, why are you thinking so much about it Sasuke?"

Sasuke scowled at Kakashi, "Shut up Kakashi, it meant nothing."

After their bickering, neither males said anything. It was silent for a few minutes until they suddenly heard a knock on the door. Kakashi got up to answer it and Sasuke closed his eyes, welcoming the silence. Abruptly, Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head to corridor. _Naruto…_

Standing behind him was Sakura, she had looked a little nervous.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto slowly nodded his head with a furrowed brow. "I'm going to tell you all about what really happened between me and Hinata."

Xxx

Hinata released a sigh relief as she began to re-organise her papers from today's meeting with the elders. They had just finished going through finalising the agreement of not performing the cursed seal on any newborns in the branch family. Hinata was beaming on the inside. _Neji-niisan, Otousan, Okasan, I finally did it. _Hinata could feel her mouth hurting her from trying to hold in her grin. She had to remind herself that as a Hyuga, they were infamous for never showing emotions. The elders had agreed that at the next clan meeting, they would announce this new agreement. It had taken Hinata hours and hours, of writing and researching but today it had finally paid off. _One step at a time Hinata. _

Hinata was standing up to leave until she noticed one of the elders, usher her to sit down again.

"We would like to ask you a personal question, Hinata-sama."

The elder nearest the scribe ordered them to stop writing and to leave the room. Hinata gripped her yukata, trying to hide her nerves. Once the scribe had left, it was her grandfather who spoke to her first.

"What is the relationship between you and Uzumaki Naruto?"

Hinata frowned, _are they seriously asking this again. _Before she could respond, her grandfather added, "there was word that you were seen together at the Hinami festival, do you care to explain Hinata-sama?"

"As I have answered **_many_** times before, Naruto-kun and I are no longer romantically together. I was given a time frame to answer him with my feelings after evaluating a personal situation, which I will add **_does not_** affect any of you. During the Hinami festival, I gave him my answer and we have both chosen to remain as friends. We spending some time together at the festival was an example of this desired friendship as well as closure. I am sure many of you have experienced these feelings. I ask that you do not ask about our relationship again."

Normally, the elders dismissed her last statement and ignored it. But today, her grandfather had nodded his head.

"As you wish Hinata-sama."

Hinata stood up and prepared to bow, hoping to take her leave. It had been such a long morning. But it seemed like the elders had even more questions for her.

"Should we send you a list of suitable bachelors then? It's imperative a heir is produced Hinata-sama. The sooner the better. A shinobi life is unpredictable."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at the elders, "There's no need to send a list. I'm still young and do not plan on marrying right away. Moreover, Hanabi-chan plans to challenge the position of head next year. We can discuss heirs and marriage after that."

She listened to the elders bicker amongst themselves, finally her grandaunt repeats the same thing she says every time they get into a discussion about Hinata's love life.

"You should at least be thinking of a suitable partner Hinata-sama."

Hinata faked a smile, "Of course."

"One last thing, what is your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Hinata's breathe hitches. Not once had they ever asked her about **_him. _** Hinata urgently tried to control the blush threatening to surface.

"We are merely acquaintances," she bit her lip and noticed her grandfather narrow his eyes at her. _I'm done for, oh kami. _

"We've heard a lot about you two being seen together in public, talking like friends."

Hinata fakes a smile, "it's important to be on friendly terms with our neighbours and comrades."

Hinata releases a sigh of relief as she hears the elders nod and mutter between themselves. Hopefully, they would buy that. _Oh kami, if they knew that yesterday she had practically made out with him_. Hinata shook her head, _don't think about it Hinata. Don't think about it. _

She turned her head to the door when a servant walked in, bowing towards them.

"Pardon the intrusion, but Hinata-sama, Uchiha-sama has been asking for you my lady."

Hinata's eyes became wide, _no, no, no. _

"Please tell Uchiha-san I am in the middle of a meeting."

"I have told him that, but he has been here since the morning and refuses to leave."

Hinata bit her lip, "Very well, tell him I'll be with him in a moment. Bring him to my private quarters."

She flicked her head back to the elders and bowed. "Please excuse me, this meeting is over correct?"

The elders nodded and dismissed her. On her way out she heard them talking between themselves.

"Acquaintances? Hinata-sama has gotten better at lying."

"She's never brought another man into her private quarters that was not a Hyuga."

"Let her do as she pleases, she's the Head after all."

"Uchiha Sasuke though… how very interesting. Imagine if they were to get married. We could end up running the Uchiha clan as well if we wanted to."

"A child of two different dojutsus though… that would be fascinating."

Furious by their comments, Hinata turned her head back to them, "I nor Uchiha-san would ever produce a child for your own selfish desires and benefits. Uchiha-san is not the type of person to let himself be manipulated again by the likes of you elders."

It was her grandaunt who laughed and gave her a mischievous grin, "She did not deny that they were not acquaintances. Something truly is going on."

Hinata stormed out – as ladylike as she possibly could – and smacked herself on her cheeks. _Pull yourself together Hinata. _Somehow the elders always knew how to get under her skin.

Hinata took deep breathes in and out as she made her way to her private quarters. Ever since yesterday's incident, Hinata had tried to distract herself from anything that related to Uchiha Sasuke. It was impossible though. She could not stop thinking about him and his stupid lips against hers and on her neck.

_I wonder what he wants though. _Hinata came to her door and opened it and closed it behind her once she was inside. She observed Sasuke sitting against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes once her footsteps got closer, he opened his mouth to talk but Hinata had immediately blocked his tenketsu points, so he could not move.

"The hell is this Hyuga?"

Hinata kneeled in front of him, her head cast downwards. "You have waited outside since morning, I'm sure you have the capability to wait a little a longer."

"What did you –"

She snapped her head up at him, her cheeks were reddened. Eventually, she blurted it all out. "I was just – just embarrassed because of you! In front of the whole council, I've been made a laughing stock in a matter of seconds because of you," she shook her head, "they think we're dating!" She said incredulously while laughing awkwardly.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at her and it irritated Hinata, she hated when he did that. It was as if she was a fool because he could not understand what she was trying to say.

"I don't understand Uchiha-san. First, you – you run into me and blame it on me. Then you insulted me and stared at me for a while without any words and then just leave."

Without realising it, Hinata had moved closer to Sasuke's face, until her fists were slamming against his chest and tears were flooding her face.

"Then you're rude again to me and then yesterday…you you start attacking me and – and – and you kiss me! YOU KISS ME."

Hinata dropped her head onto his shoulder and continued to cry and hiccupped.

"I just don't understand Uchiha-san. Don't you hate me? Why?"

She heard Sasuke sigh, "You're right, I do hate you. But I came here to apologise. It's something I rarely do, so stop crying so you can hear me. "

Hinata flicked her head back up Sasuke, her eyes wide with surprise "Nani?"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly and sincerely.

Hinata's mouth was agape as she gripped his shirt. "I don't understand," she whispered.

"I'm not going to repeat it Hyuga."

"You called me Hinata last night…"

"Hn"

"Uchiha-san, I don't understand."

"Hinata… get off of me, you're ruining my shirt."

Hinata released her clutch on his shirt and wiped her tears away. "Oh, gomen… Thank you Uchiha-san."

Suddenly he pulled on her yukata until their faces were inches apart. Hinata blushed at the intensifying stare of his eyes, never breaking eye contact with him. She had always managed to lose herself in his eyes.

"Last night," he whispered, "I heard you call me Sasuke,"

Hinata's breathe hitched as she watched Sasuke lick his lips.

"Sasuke-kun," she replied.

"Just Sasuke, no honorifics, I hate that."

Before she knew it Sasuke's lips were hovering over hers.

xxx

**please review :)**


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